


Memory Fails

by thatdipperkid



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Future Fic, Gen, Mystery, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-08-14 09:46:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 44,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8008684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatdipperkid/pseuds/thatdipperkid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been five years since the Pine Twins have been to Gravity falls. They return, desperate to reclaim their lost memories. As they reconnect with lost friends and old foes, a sinister force begins plotting. They are unwillingly drawn into a battle that will not only determine their own fate, but the fate of the town itself. Rated M for language and teenage romance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Hurry up Mabel! We're gonna be late!" Dipper said. He paced back and forth down the hallway. Mabel was always like this. She always needed to get herself ready just so, even for a three-hour car trip. Dipper compulsively twirled his thumbs, and ground his teeth together.

"I'm almost done, one second!" said Mabel. Dipper looked towards the bathroom door and wagged a finger at it.

"You said that ten minutes ago!" said Dipper.

"You put that finger away mister," said Mabel. Dipper raised an eyebrow.

"How did you know I was wagging my finger at you?" asked Dipper. The bathroom door opened and a burst of steam rushed out. Mabel followed after it, a smile on her face.

"Because we're twins, Dipper. I know what you're going to do before you do it," said Mabel.

"Whatever," said Dipper. "Let's get out of here."

"I knew you were gonna say that," said Mabel.

"Oh would you shut up!" the twins shouted at each other. Dipper growled and walked off in a huff while Mabel just giggled.

"I'm about to leave you here," said Dipper. He walked to the front door, peeled his coat off a nearby rack, and tried to get it on. It was to small for him, and he struggled with it. Mabel began to giggle even harder.

"You wouldn't do that," said Mabel.

"And why the hell not?" asked Dipper. He forced his hands through the sleeves and sucked his gut in. He tried to zip himself up but the zipper kept getting jammed.

"Because as much as you hate to admit it, you love me," said Mabel. She walked over to Dipper and helped him get the zipper unstuck. She ran the zipper up the jacket and gave Dipper a smile and a wink.

"Thanks," said Dipper begrudgingly. Mabel nodded.

"Now let's get out of here," said Mabel. She got her own jacket, a sparkly pink thing, and put it on with one smooth motion. She opened the front door and gestured for Dipper to walk out first. Dipper complied.

"Make sure you lock the door behind you," said Dipper.

"I'm not dumb, dummy," said Mabel. She closed the door and skipped over to the car. Dipper waited a second, backed up, and tried the door. It opened. Dipper shook his head, locked the door, and walked over to his car. It was a beat up old station wagon. Dipper's father had inherited it from his father, and then stuck Dipper with it. It was mostly green, but some paint had flecked off over time. It revealed the original color, a dark red. The strange mix made the wagon look like a rusty mess. Dipper did his best to take care of it, but there was only so much he could do. Dipper sighed and opened the driver side door. He got in and flipped Mabel's lock. Mabel scrambled into the car and Dipper started it up.

"I'm so excited!" said Mabel. She wiggled in her seat, bouncing like supercharged tennis ball. Dipper slumped over the steering wheel, his face stuck in a frown of worry. He backed the van out of the driveway, and pulled up to the road. He knew the path he would take by heart, even after all these years. It was one of those weird things you just don't forget.

"It might be fun," said Dipper.

"Might be fun? Come on Dipper, it's gonna be amazing," said Mabel.

"I don't know about all that," said Dipper.

"Why are you being such a grouchypants?" Mabel asked. Dipper shrugged.

"I'm just saying, it wasn't all fun and games that summer," said Dipper. "We went through some weird stuff."

"I wish I could remember what it was," sighed Mabel. She had just echoed a sentiment both twins had felt for years now. They had started to forget about a year in. Both Mabel and Dipper tried to write the memories down, but the paper they wrote it on kept vanishing. By year two, much of what they had experienced was a complete blur. Five years later they had forgotten it almost completely. They had wanted to go back before now but their parents had stopped them from going. It was always some stupid excuse. A super long vacation, Grunkle Stan was feeling sick, Dad was going to another country and the kids needed to keep Mom company. It was like some strange force was conspiring to keep them from going back to Gravity Falls. But there was nothing anybody could do now. They were adults, sort of. They were both still seventeen, but they had graduated from high school. Bot were accepted into college, so this was their last real summer vacation. They had known for years they would spend it at Gravity Falls. "But what I do remember about Gravity Falls is really nice," said Mabel. "I know I made a couple of friends."

"I wish my memories were as good," said Dipper. He remembered some dark-haired, mean-spirited kid tormenting him. Spending long days in the summer heat working at Grunkle Stan's crappy shop. And there was some strange memory deep in his heart. Whenever he thought on it, he got the mental image of red hair. It made him feel like something hard and sad was tugging at his heart.

"Well, we'll just have to make some better memories for you," said Mabel.

"Let's hope. I'd hate for our last summer to be a shitty one," said Dipper. Mabel nodded.

"Yeah, that would suck. But I think we kind of need this," said Mabel.

"For sure," said Dipper. "We're not leaving a whole lot behind." Both Mabel and Dipper had been relatively popular in school, but they hadn't made too many close friends. Both had also had a series of short, meaningless relationships. They couldn't seem to find any sort of lasting happiness.

"The exit's coming up on the right," said Mabel.

"I know Mabel," said Dipper.

"I know you knew. I just like bugging you," said Mabel.

"This is gonna be a long summer," sighed Dipper.


	2. Chapter 2

Dipper parked the car, and took it all in. It had been so long since he had seen it. The massive trees that seemed to stretch out to infinity. The brown, dried grass that crunched under your feet as you walked. And of course the mystery shack.

"They finally fixed the S," noticed Mabel.

"Oh yeah," said Dipper. "I remember that. The damn thing was always falling down."

"Yeah," said Mabel. "It was always the Mystery Hack."

"That's probably a better name for it," said Dipper. "The whole thing was a scam."

"Maybe, but it was a fun scam," said Mabel. "People really enjoyed coming here. Almost everybody left with a smile."

"Unless we were doing something crazy," said Dipper. "Which we were on a pretty consistent basis. You remember when Grunkle Stan made me dress up like a werewolf?" Mabel tapped her chin with a finger.

"Not really," she admitted.

"Well he made me wear these super itchy pants. And these really, really stupid ears," said Dipper. "It was humiliating."

"Oh come on," said Mabel. "I'm sure Grunkle Stan was just having a little fun." Mabel frowned. "Are you gonna be okay? You seem really down for some reason."

"I know, I feel really weird," said Dipper. "It's coming back to this place. I thought when I came back, things would feel good. But now that we're here, I just feel uneasy. I don't know if we should be doing this."

"What do you mean?" asked Mabel.

"Maybe there's a reason we blocked it all out," said Dipper. "What if something really terrible happened here? I read an article somewhere that said people put in mental blocks when something really traumatic happens to them. Maybe this is like that."

"No way," said Mabel. "If that's the case, why have we been wanting to come back for so long?"

"I don't know," said Dipper.

"Well regardless of how you feel about the town, it'll be nice to see Grunkle Stan again," said Mabel. Dipper smiled.

"That's true. It's been forever since I've seen him." Dipper closed his eyes, and pictured his Grunkle. "Hopefully he bathes more." Mabel laughed, and waved her hand.

"Oh yeah, he was super stinky. Oh, and those awful clothes. Who told him that a wife beater and sweats was a going out outfit?" asked Mabel.

"Maybe the same person who told you that sparkly pink sweaters were a good buy," said Dipper. Mabel punched Dipper on the arm.

"You're such an ass, Dipper!" She folded her arms, and stuck out her bottom lip.

"Come on, I was just kidding," said Dipper. Mabel shrugged her shoulders.

"I know, I know. You're still an ass though," said Mabel.

"Takes one to know one," said Dipper. Mabel chuckled.

"What are you, seven?" asked Mabel.

"Ten years ago I was," said Dipper. "All right, let's go see him. You ready?"

"If you are," said Mabel. The two nodded, and got out of the car. They walked up the path quietly, both stuck in their own heads. Mabel kept fooling with her hair, tying it into a ponytail and untying it over and over. Dipper ground his teeth together. They finally reached the door, and gave each other a look. "Here we go," whispered Mabel. Dipper reached out a hand, and knocked. They waited for a few seconds, and the door opened.

"Dudes!" Before they could register what was happening, they were both pulled into a bone crunching hug.

"Hey Soos," Dipper said. "It's nice to see you, but you're crushing my ribs."

"Whoops," said Soos. He let the two twins go, and beamed at them. "It's been forever! What took you so long to come back?"

"It's a long story," said Mabel. "But you look amazing! You lost so much weight!" Soos looked down, as if to double check that he had in fact lost weight.

"Oh yeah. Did you know if you eat less food, you start to lose weight?" Soos asked. The two twins laughed, but they were both flummoxed when they realized Soos was being serious. "It's amazing dudes. I went down from three sandwiches at lunch to one, and all of a sudden I started getting thinner. So then I thought, 'why not try that with all my meals?' And out of nowhere, I got super thin. Look!" Soos pulled his shirt up, and showed them his belly. It was almost completely flat. "It's like half of me just vanished."

"That's really good Soos," said Dipper. He pat Soos on the shoulder, and Soos beamed.

"But enough about me," said Soos. "How have you two been? Things still going good in middle school?" The twins raised an eyebrow.

"Soos, we're out of middle school," said Dipper.

"We just graduated high school," added Mabel. Soos's mouth dropped open.

"Are you kidding dudes? That's crazy. I mean, I should have guessed. You two are so much bigger. Last time I saw you, you didn't have any hair on you at all," said Soos, pointing to Dipper. "Now you got this whole thing going on," said Soos, pointing to Dipper's beard. "And last time I saw you, you were super tiny. Now you're almost as tall as me," Soos said to Mabel.

"Guess we've all changed," said Mabel. Soos nodded.

"Well, not him," said Soos, pointing into the shack. "You're old Grunkle's still the same old Stan."

"I can't wait to see him," said Mabel. "It's been forever."

"He's actually not here," said Soos. "He's out doing something. Messing with Lil' Gideon again, I think." A shiver ran down Mabel's back. Dipper noticed it, but refrained from saying anything. "But come on in dudes. We got sodas and stuff in the gift shop. Help yourself."

"Thanks Soos," the twins said in unison. The group stepped inside the shack, and Soos swung the door closed behind them.


	3. Chapter 3

After the twins put their stuff away in their respective rooms (Dipper let Mabel have the room with the weird rug, he took the one upstairs), they followed Soos to the gift shop. It had been redone. Somene had put up wallpaper with different color question marks on it. A lot of the knickknacks were gone, replaced with a large kiosk in the center of the room that allowed you to download pictures and video. The snack and drink machines were still in working order though. Dipper and Mabel both got some chips and a soda, and found somewhere to sit. Soos was tending to the register, fixing the mechanism that opened the cash drawer. They were chatting aimlessly, talking about what Dipper and Mabel had done for the past five years.

"Does Wendy still work here?" asked Mabel. Dipper suddenly felt very strange. Uncomfortable, disappointed. It hit him like an invisible train.

"No," said Soos. "She left a few years ago. She's going to the community college right now. Doing pretty well, from what I hear." Dipper was slowly starting to remember her. Long red hair. Pale, covered in freckles. A contagious laugh, always wearing flannel. Dipper had a crush on her, but it was nothing more than that. He had been twelve, not old enough to really appreciate love. He had just been starting puberty, and she became the focus of his confused and frustrated affections. There was something else, something really deep in the back of his mind. No matter how hard he thought, he just couldn't reach it. "Someone else took her place though."

"Who?" asked Mabel.

"Me." Both Dipper and Mabel spun around. Both of their jaws dropped. He was tall, six-foot and a half. He had long, but well combed black hair. His once pimply face was now smooth. He had become ruggedly handsome. He had bulked up, still very lean but muscular. He had carefully maintained sideburns, and a goatee. He wore khakis and a green button up. His piercings were gone, long healed. He smiled, and his teeth were straight and white. In five years, Robbie had gone from an unattractive goth kid to a young adult heartthrob. "How you guys doing?" The twins were too stunned to answer for a few seconds. Soos fidgeted uncomfortably. Mabel finally snapped out of her stupor.

"We've been good. How have you been handsome?" Mabel's cheeks turned scarlet, and she cleared her throat. "I mean Robbie. How have you been Robbie?"

"Good. I guess I finally got over all that teenage awkwardness," Robbie said. "I realized the whole goth thing was kind of overplayed, so I cleaned up and started acted like a normal person." He sighed, and scratched the back of his head. "I did it a little late, though. Me and my idiot friends got kicked out of high school, so I had to get a GED. I was really struggling there for a while, but when Wendy quit Stan gave me a chance. It was really nice of him, so I've been working my butt off."

"He really has," said Soos. "He was the one who helped modernize the shack. This wallpaper was his idea. He also put up a live video feed. We have a ton of hits on youtube."

"I wouldn't say a ton," Robbie said, "but it's more than a few."

"That's really cool," said Mabel. She was leaning forward, straightening her hair. She had a mild blush going, and would occasionally give a little contented sigh.

"If you say so," said Robbie. He turned towards Dipper, and frowned. "Hey dude. You mind talking to me outside for a second?" Dipper frowned, and shrugged.

"I guess," Dipper said.

"Cool," said Robbie. He walked out, and Dipper followed him.

"Bye handsome Robbie," said Mabel. Dipper rolled his eyes, and the two marched outside. Robbie leaned up against a railing. He gave Dipper a serious look.

"I owe you an apology," said Robbie. "I was a real asshole to you all those summers ago." Dipper was taken aback.

"No man, it's cool," said Dipper. "I guess I was a little aggressive with Wendy. You were her boyfriend."

"I was a shitty boyfriend," said Robbie. "And just a shitty kid in general. You were new here, and you were really struggling. Instead of helping you, I just made fun of you and tried to pick fights all the time. It really wasn't cool. And I don't want that this time around." Robbie walked over to Dipper, and put his hands on Dipper's shoulders. "If you need anything, just tell me." Dipper nodded.

"Thanks Robbie. I appreciate it," Dipper said. This new Robbie was kinda cool. Robbie smiled, and let go of Dipper.

"Great. I gotta go look over some new inventory, so I'll catch you later." Robbie walked away, waving to Dipper as he went. Dipper returned the wave, feeling dumbstruck. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all. He felt something hot and wet on the nape of his neck. He whirled around, and saw Mabel only inches behind him.

"What a hunk," she said.

"Oh please. Maybe he's changed a little, but he's still Robbie," said Dipper. "Well I want some fries with my Robbie shake," growled Mabel. Dipper stuck out his tongue.

"Oh eww, please, I don't want to hear that," said Dipper.

"I want him to grab me, and-"

"La la la la I can't hear you!" shouted Dipper, putting his fingers in his ears. He scrambled away from his love-struck sister, and went back into the gift shop. Soos was still fooling around with the register. "I can't believe that was Robbie," said Dipper. "I guess things really have changed around here."

"Yeah, they have," said Soos. "Things have changed a lot since you guys left. It's kind of funny, actually. People just started getting better."

"When we left?" asked Dipper. "Great, turns out we were dragging down the whole town."

"That's not what I meant," said Soos. "I'm just saying Gravity Falls is on kind of an upswing. You guys picked a great time to come back."

"Good," said Dipper. "This summer is gonna be awesome." And for the first time since the trip began, Dipper actually meant that.


	4. Chapter 4

"Grunkle Stan!" squealed Mabel.

"Kids!" shouted Grunkle Stan. Mabel and Dipper ran at him, and crashed into him. He nearly toppled out of the doorway, but managed to right himself before he fell. He laughed, and embraced them. "God, it's been so long," he said.

"I know," said Mabel. "We missed you so much."

"I missed you guys too," said Stan. "You guys look so grown up. Look at that beard Dipper. I remember when you used to freak out about not being tall enough, and now you're taller than me."

"I'm not as tall as Mabel though," said Dipper. Mabel shrugged.

"We all knew that was gonna happen," Mabel said.

"All right, all right, let me come in," said Grunkle Stan. The two twins moved aside, and Stan walked into the house. The three walked to the living room, and found some seats.

"So what's new with you guys? Tell me everything that's happened with you." The twins grinned at each other.

"How much time do you have?" asked Dipper.

"As much time as we need," said Grunkle Stan. "I missed the hell out of you kids, and I want to catch up on what's been happening with you." This warmed the twins hearts. Both of their parents were constantly busy, even when they were off work. It always seemed like they were out doing something, leaving the twins by themselves. If Mabel and Dipper had been a different breed of kid they could have gotten into a lot of trouble. But both had a good head on their shoulders, and had managed to stay out of trouble.

"Well we just graduated high school," said Dipper. "So that's something."

"Dipper was valedictorian," said Mabel.

"Geez, what a nerd," said Grunkle Stan. Dipper frowned, and Stan ruffled Dipper's hair. "I'm just messing with you kid. That's amazing. How did you do Mabel?" Mabel groaned, and Dipper gave her an evil grin.

"She did good," said Dipper, "but she had some help." Dipper cleared his throat. "A _lot_ of help, from a certain really smart kid."

"Well, at least you passed," said Stan. "What are your plans for the future?"

"We both got accepted to Dartmouth," said Mabel.

"Wow, Dartmouth? That's pretty far away," said Stan.

"Yeah it is," said Dipper. "We're gonna be moving there, so we'll have to work during the summer."

"Yup. So this is our last summer vacation," said Mabel.

"And you wanted to spend it here, with me?" asked Grunkle Stan. Stan began to tear up. The twins smiled at each other. Stan saw them, and scoffed. "What are you guys smiling about? I just got allergies." The group continued to talk well into the night. As the sun sunk down, and the moon slowly rose, they failed to notice Robbie standing in a doorway. He was listening to their conversation, making mental notes. When the group finished talking, he slunk away into a back room. He went out a door, and went to the edge of the forest. A figure waited for him.

"I have the info you needed," Robbie said.

"Excellent," replied the figure. "Our plan is being set into motion." They talked briefly, and Robbie walked away. He got into his car, and left for his house. The figure walked through the forest, his face shrouded by the shadows. He found the normal meeting place and sat, waiting. In a minute, he heard the rustle of something approaching. Another figure came forth. This one was not human. It was some strange hybrid creature, it's shadow stretching in bizarre directions. The human figure smiled. "They have returned," he said to the strange creature. The creature made a terrible noise, something between a groan, a squeal, and a scream. The human chuckled. "I agree. I must admit, I didn't expect them to have forgotten so much. According to Robbie they can't remember anything paranormal happening here. I suppose we ought to thank Pacifica, if we get around to it." The figure made another horrible hissing, crying noise. "Just because she's a pawn doesn't mean we have to be rude," said the human figure reproachfully. "But enough of this talk. The game really begins tomorrow. It is then that we will make our first movie. Is everybody ready?" The eldritch creature made a growling, spitting noise. "Excellent. And do you have the red haired one in place?" The creature crooned. "Good. You must be careful around her. It is imperative that she doesn't know of our presence. Otherwise she might try to save Dipper. And we certainly can't have that." At this, the human figure chuckled. "The Pine twins will pay for what they did those five years ago. You will return to your former glory, and I will finally get the power I deserve." The human figure stood up, and nodded. "Sleep well, my friend. Sleep well." The figure walked off into the forest. The creature faded back into the forest, it's terrible shadow being replaced by glowing moonlight.


	5. Chapter 5

Wendy drove down the road, the radio blaring some stupid love song. She didn't really know why she was going back. She had just got her AA degree, and was getting ready to transfer to the University of Oregon. Her friends had tried to convince her to move in with them, so she wouldn't have to go back. She had seriously considered it. It wasn't that she hated Gravity Falls. It was where she had grown up after all. But being a girl in a family filled with boys had weighed heavily on her. Her father wanted an athlete, and while she wasn't shabby she certainly wasn't a star. She felt like a constant disappointment. Even when she went off to college (the first Corduroy to have done so in generations,) her father had sneered. She didn't want to be a lumberjack, which is the only thing that would have satisfied him. And so she had severed ties with him. It had been the hardest thing she had ever done. And now she would be going back. She wouldn't be staying with her parents (Tambry was giving her a place to stay), but she was sure she'd see her father around town. It would be a difficult couple of months. But she still had things she wanted to do. She wanted to catch up with all her friends, and thank Stan. Without that job, she wouldn't have been able to afford to go to college.

She parked out in front of Tambry's house, and walked up to the door. Before she could even knock, Tambry swung the door open. She had stopped dying her hair, so it was now black instead of purple. She had also stopped wearing that thick, gaudy eyeliner. She still dressed in purple though, wearing a purple top with tight jeans. The two girls embraced.

"Oh my God Wendy, it's been way too long," said Tambry.

"I know!" said Wendy. "I wanted to come earlier, but school just ate up my life." "I know the feeling," said Tambry. "Community College is a lot harder than high school. Nobody reminds you to do anything."

"Yeah, it takes some getting used to," said Wendy.

"I see you ditched the hat," said Tambry.

"Yeah, it wasn't really my style," said Wendy.

"It's a good move. Those hats have been out for like two years now," said Tambry.

"You know me, I'm such a fashionista," said Wendy. "It's not like I wore nothing but flannel through high school." "Well that wasn't really your fault," said Tambry. "Your whole family did..." Wendy bit her lip, and Tambry blushed. She had forgotten about Wendy's delicate family situation. Desperate to move on, Tambry said," want some help with your stuff?" Wendy smiled gratefully.

"That would be awesome," said Wendy. Tambry helped her bring in her stuff, and set her up in her new room. After they finished, Wendy collapsed on her bed, while Tambry planted herself on a beanbag chair. "Thank God I have you as a friend," said Wendy. "It was super cool of you to let me crash here."

"It was no problem," said Tambry.

"Plus I never missed anything, since you texted me so much," said Wendy.

"That became a real issue," said Tambry. "I had to get a phone that could only send a limited amount of texts. Then I actually had to look up at the world." A smile spread across Tambry's face. "It's pretty awesome."

"It's not bad," said Wendy.

"But there is something I haven't told you yet," said Tambry. Wendy got out of the bed, and tied her hair back into a ponytail.

"What's up?" asked Wendy.

"You're not gonna believe this," said Tambry. She leaned forward, and looked around the room, as if for invisible intruders. "The Pine twins are back. They just rolled in a few hours ago." Wendy's eyes widened like saucers. Tambry raised her eyebrows. "You okay?" asked Tambry.

"The, the Pine twins?" asked Wendy. "Including Dipper?"

"They wouldn't be the twins without both of them," said Tambry.

"Jesus," whispered Wendy. "I didn't think I'd ever see him again."

"What's the big deal?" asked Tambry. "He's just some kid who used to have a crush on you." Wendy shook her head.

"No, it was a lot more then that," said Wendy.

"What, you actually started dating him?" asked Tambry. "He was twelve!"

"No, I obviously didn't date him," said Wendy. "But I, uh..." Wendy scratched the back of her head. Tambry's mouth dropped open.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Tambry asked. Wendy shook her head.

"It was weird," said Wendy. "He had followed me around all summer, and he was there for me when Robbie wasn't. I know he was kind of young, but I felt sorry for him. So we did some stuff," said Wendy.

"Holy shit," said Tambry. "I had no idea."

"Well I didn't exactly run around publicizing it. If word got out that I was messing around with a middle schooler, I'd be a social outcast," said Wendy.

"At least he was a cool twelve year old," said Tambry. "All our friends liked him. Except Robbie."

"Oh please, don't remind me about that asshole," said Wendy. "Biggest waste of my life ever. I gave him about five chances too many."

"We all make mistakes," said Tambry.

"Like fooling around with a twelve year old," groaned Wendy. "It was so hard when he had to leave. I pretty much had to tell him it was just an over the summer thing, and it crushed him. I mean, I have never seen that much hurt on somebody's face. I was practically killing him. He still tried to call me for a while, but then he just stopped. The whole situation was super shitty." Wendy collapsed back on her bed, shaking the bed frame. "As if I didn't have enough awkward encounters to look forward to, now I have to look forward to that."

"Maybe don't let it be awkward?" said Tambry. "It has been five years. You're both older and wiser. Maybe he's forgiven you."

"I hope so," said Wendy. "He was a really good kid. A really good kid I made a huge mistake with."

"He probably doesn't think it was a mistake," said Tambry. "He may have had his heart broken, but I bet it was a good time." Wendy giggled sheepishly.

"It wasn't bad," Wendy admitted. "He was mature for his age."

"I'm going to refrain from asking what exactly you mean by that," said Tambry. "All right, let's get out of this hole. Wanna get some burgers?" Wendy looked down at her stomach.

"I probably shouldn't, but what the hell," she said. "Might as well celebrate my first day back at Gravity Falls."

"That's the spirit," said Tambry. She helped Wendy off the bed, and the redhead slung her shoulder around the compulsive texter.

"This is gonna be fun," said Wendy.

"Yup," said Tambry. The two walked out of the room, talking about calling some of their old high school buds. A light switch was flipped, and the room was shrouded in darkness. A few minutes passed, and there was a sound. The window was being jimmied open. It flew out, and somebody rolled into the room. It was a girl. She carried an ancient book in her hands. She walked over to Wendy's bed, and set the book down. She raised her arms, and spoke in a strange, terrible language. A flash of light filled the room, and all was quiet. The figure picked the book back up, and left out the open window, closing it behind her. No one would know she had been there.


	6. Chapter 6

Dipper woke with a start. He looked around in a panic. He was expecting some horrible thing to come after him, gnashing at him with bloody teeth. He soon came to his senses, snapping fully awake.

"God what a horrible dream," Dipper said to himself. It had been years since he had a nightmare like that. For a while after that summer at Gravity Falls, Dipper had persistent night terrors. It had worried his parents so much they had sent him to a psychiatrist. They nightmares faded after a while, replaced by the normal nonsensical dreams most people have. But he had just had an old school nightmare. He dreamt that he was in a forest, being chased by some horrible thing. It was a cross between everything Dipper feared. It was trying to kill Dipper, trying to eat him. Dipper had woken up right before the thing had got him. Dipper moved out of his bed, and looked through the bedroom window. He could see his reflection in its surface. Dipper's face was flushed, and covered in sweat. He put his head in his hands. "Please don't let me dream like that anymore," he whispered. He felt just like he had all those years ago. Scared, powerless. Just a little kid in a big, nasty world. He turned towards the empty bed. Back then he and his sister had shared this room. They were too old to do that now, but in a weird way Dipper missed it. It was comforting to be able to see his sister, knowing that she would help keep him safe. Now all he had was himself.

Dipper pulled a robe over himself, pulled out a clean set of clothes from his luggage, and wandered out towards the shower. He was pleased to find it empty. As he opened the door, he saw someone coming down the hallway.

"Hey Mabel," he said, waving to his sister. She grunted and went down the stairs, still half asleep. She was also in a robe, although hers was pink. She was also wearing her favorite pair of bunny slippers (Dipper knew that she owned six pairs, but this one had blue ears and little buckteeth.) She mumbled to herself as she worked her way down. She passed through the living room, into the kitchen. She found some cereal, poured herself a bowl, and got some milk. She sat down, and stared at her breakfast.

"I hate you!" she said to her cereal. "Stupid cereal. I wanted bacon."

"I don't have bacon, but I have something pretty close," someone said. She turned around, and gasped. It was Robbie. She pulled her robe tight over herself.

"Robbie! What are you-" when she saw what Robbie was holding, she stopped speaking. Her mouth widened into a huge smile. Modesty forgotten, she let go of her robe and ran over to Robbie. She lifted the thing out of Robbie's hands, and did a happy dance. "Waddles!" She squeezed the pig tight, and gave it a kiss on its forehead. It gave a squeal of delight. "I can't believe I forgot about you! Oh my God, you're just as adorable as the day I got you." She continued to squeeze the pig, tears trickling out of her eyes. It was like she had found a lost best friend. She turned towards Robbie. "Thank you so much," she said.

"Don't thank me," said Robbie. "Soos was the one who took care of him when you left for home. I just picked him up on the way to work." Mabel felt a surge of gratitude towards Soos. "But I'm glad you got him back. Soos said he missed you."

"Not nearly as much as I missed him," said Mabel. She looked at Robbie, and suddenly realized her robe was hanging open. She slept in her underwear, and hadn't bothered to put anything else on. She blushed so hard she turned purple. She set Waddles down, and covered herself up. Robbie turned away bashfully.

"I'm gonna go do work now," Robbie mumbled.

"Yeah, you should do that, yeah," said Mabel. Robbie wandered into another room, and Mabel sat back down. Waddles jumped up on her lap, and curled up like a cat. Mabel absentmindedly scratched the pig behind its ear. "Don't think this lets you off the hook cereal," she said. She poured some milk into the bowl, and stuck her tongue out at it. "You still suck. I'm gonna go out, and by some bac-" she looked down at her pet. "... waffles. I'm gonna go out, and buy some waffles."

"Talking to your cereal again?" asked Dipper. He had just gotten out of the shower.

"More people should have conversations with their breakfast," said Mabel. She took a bite of cereal. "It's quite illuminating."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," said Dipper. He grabbed a bowl, tossed it on the table, and made himself some cereal. He sat down, and began eating. The two ate in silence, until Dipper suddenly jumped up in fright. "What the hell is that?" asked Dipper. He looked down, and burst into laughter. "Waddles!" He bent down, and hugged the pig. "You need to watch where you stick your snout buddy." He rubbed the pigs belly, and sat back at the table. "Where did he come from?"

"Soos was taking care of him," said Mabel. "Robbie went by Soos's house on the way to work and picked him up."

"That was nice of him," muttered Dipper. Mabel put her spoon down, and glared at Dipper.

"You still hate him, don't you?" asked Mabel.

"Hate who? Robbie?" Dipper asked. "No, no way."

"Yes you do!" insisted Mabel. "I know that look. That's the look you give to all my boyfriends when you meet them for the first time. You think he sucks."

"Well Mabel, it's hard to just forgive someone, you know?" Dipper took a bite of his cereal. "He made my life a living hell." "If I can't talk with my mouth full, neither can you," said Mabel. "And I know, but he's different now. He's nice."

"Just because he got some muscle and combed his hair doesn't make him a nice person," said Dipper. "For all we know, he could be the same old Robbie. He might be being nice to us so Grunkle Stan will stay off his back."

"I wish you would give more people the benefit of the doubt," said Mabel. "I think he's really changed. People do change, you know."

"I know," said Dipper. "Just give me some time Mabel. I'm sure I'll get over it."

"You better," said Mabel. "Because I can only deal with so much grouchypants Dipper."

"Fine, I'll take my grouchypants off," said Dipper.

"Not here you won't," said Mabel. "I'm still eating." The two shared a laugh at that, and hurriedly finished their cereal. They tossed the bowls in the sink, and Dipper began washing them. Mabel wandered up to take a shower, Waddles following close behind. After he finished drying the dishes, Dipper walked outside. He let the sun hit him, smiling as the rays poured their heat on his skin.

"Maybe I'll go for a drive," said Dipper.

"Or maybe you'll give me a hug!" said a deep voice. Dipper turned, and saw a six-foot and a half tsunami of flesh come towards him. It pulled him into a backbreaking grip.

"Grenda," Dipper squeaked. "Nice to see you again."

"You too!" said Grenda. She let Dipper go, and smiled. Dipper took her in. She had grown incredibly tall, especially for a girl. She had lost some of her baby fat, and it was now replaced by muscle. She had cut her hair short. She wore jeans and a purple shirt that read, "bodybuilder." She was imposing for sure, but also cute. "You look great!"

"Thanks," said Dipper. "You look good too."

"I should," said Grenda. "I started lifting weights. Check it out." She bunched her arm muscles up, showing off biceps that put Dipper's not insignificant ones to shame. "I can bench three hundred pounds."

"That's freaking incredible!" said Dipper.

"Really?" asked Grenda. "A lot of people think it's kinda weird."

"No way dude. That's mad cool," Dipper said.

"Thanks kid," said Grenda. She slapped Dipper on the back, and Dipper had to dig his feet in to keep from flying away. "Where's your sister?"

"Inside getting ready and stuff," said Dipper. Dipper looked around, and scratched his head. "Where's Candy?" Wendy frowned. "Off at college. She went back to Korea for it, so she had to leave early."

"That really blows," Dipper said.

"Yeah," Grenda agreed. "But at least Mabel's back! Now I'll have someone to hang out with!" That last phrase stuck Dipper. He may have had it hard with his parents, but he had always had friends. He couldn't imagine what it was like growing up with only one friend, and having her leave the country. "I'm gonna go inside and catch up with her. I'll see you later Dipper."

"See you later Grenda," said Dipper. Grenda rushed inside the house, and Dipper felt pity for her.

"Thank God we came," said Dipper. He walked towards his car, unlocked it, and got in. He started it up, and moved towards the highway. He didn't know where he was going yet. This was something Dipper did often. He loved to just get in the car and go. He flipped on the radio, and rock music began to blare from it. He bobbed his head to the beat, and played air guitar during the solos. As he turned on an exit, the radio suddenly went silent. He was about to mess with the dial, when it began to hiss.

"Dipper..." a voice from the radio groaned. Dipper pulled his car over with a screech. He felt the blood drain out of his face. His heart began to pump, and his mouth went completely dry. "We're coming for you, Dipper. You may have forgotten about us, but we have not forgotten about you. You will never be safe. We're watching you, day and night. Waiting. We will destroy everything you hold dear, Pines. And then, when you see your life burning, we will rip out your heart and feast on it." The voice began to laugh. It was somehow both high and low pitched, screeching and crying. Dipper slammed his fist into the radio, and the rock music started back up. He looked around the car, panting.

"Was that real?" he asked himself. "There's no way that was real." But it had been. There was no denying it. He pulled out from the shoulder, and started back down the exit. Maybe it was a prank. Some guys at the radio station being stupid. "But then how did they know my name?" He shook his head, and tried to block out the memory. "I'm not going crazy, not going crazy," he whispered manically. But the memory would not leave him. As he pulled into Gravity Falls proper, he felt more and more that someone was watching him. He parked in the Smokey Toes Diner lot, and took a few deep breaths. He shut his car off, and got out. He was finally starting to calm down. Maybe it had just been one of those weird waking dream things.

"Dipper?" someone asked. He recognized the voice immediately.

"Wendy?"


	7. Chapter 7

"Yeah, it's me," said Wendy. Wendy approached Dipper, a smile on her face. "I figured you might be around town. Tambry told me that you and Mabel came up."

"Soos said you were off at college," said Dipper.

"I just finished," said Wendy. "Sort of. I have to go to a university, but I figured I'd come down here for the summer. Say hi to all my friends, that sort of thing," said Wendy.

"Same here," said Dipper. "Me and Mabel are going to Dartmouth, so this is kind of our last summer vacation."

"Dartmouth? Wow, that's cool," said Wendy.

"Thanks," said Dipper. The two stood there awkwardly, Wendy digging at the ground with her foot, Dipper twiddling his thumbs.

"Listen-" they both said at the same time.

"You first," offered Dipper.

"Thanks," said Wendy. "Look, you don't have to hang out with me if you don't want to. I know you're probably still a little upset about what happened that summer. I mean, I was kind of hoping we could be friends. But I understand if you want me to keep my distance."

"What do you mean?" asked Dipper. "What did we-" the memories came flooding back. Wendy's second breakup with Robbie. Comforting her on top of the shack roof, hugging her close. His heart beating out of his chest. Dipper never though he'd be that close. And then, out of nowhere, Wendy took Dipper's head in her hands. She pulled his face towards hers. Her face was streaked with tears.

"Do you love me?" she whispered. Dipper couldn't answer. He thought for sure that his heart would explode, and that his life would end. He wasn't sure it was real. Maybe it was some sort of illusion, some sort of trick. But then she kissed him. His first kiss had that awkwardness that all of them do. He wasn't sure what to do, but Wendy had guided him. They sat up there for an hour, Dipper fulfilling his deepest wish. Afterwords, he had stumbled downstairs. He collapsed in his bed, too overwhelmed to do anything but sleep. The memory faded out, and Dipper snapped back to the present. Wendy stared at him, waiting for a response.

"Oh. Oh, right," said Dipper. "Well, I guess what happened happened. Nothing we can do to change that," said Dipper. Wendy frowned. "Not that I would want to!" said Dipper. "I'm glad we did that. It's a nice memory," said Dipper.

"For me too," said Wendy. She began to blush, and Dipper felt something in his heart soar.

"I don't want you to stay away," said Dipper. "That would be silly. We used to have a really good time together. No reason we can't still do that."

"Yeah, we did used to have fun," said Wendy. "Remember that time we all went to that abandoned grocery store?"

"Oh yeah!" said Dipper. "And Mabel ate all that candy dip? Oh man, it was like she was tripping. She kept talking about candy dogs and three headed flying dolphins."

"Oh my God, I forgot about that!" laughed Wendy. She stopped suddenly, as if something were bugging her. "Did... did something weird happen at that place?"

"What do you mean?" asked Dipper.

"I don't know. I feel like something strange happened," said Wendy. She shrugged. "It's weird. Sometimes I have trouble recalling certain things that happened in my childhood. I guess everyone does, but it bugs the hell out of me."

"Same here!" said Dipper. "I know exactly what you mean! It's like right on the tip of your mental tongue, but you just can't remember."

"I talked to some of my friends about it, and they all have the same thing," mused Wendy. "Must be one of those things."

"Yeah," said Dipper. "Hey, maybe the shop was full of ghosts, and our minds are just blocking out the horrors we had to endure." The two laughed at that.

"Right, right. And I bet you had to dress up as a lamb and do a stupid dance to appease the ghosts," laughed Wendy,

"That must have been what happened," giggled Dipper.

"See, I miss this," said Wendy. "You're a cool little dude."

"Not so little anymore," said Dipper. "Have you seen the beard?"

"Yeah, it's not to shabby," said Wendy. "Weird that it's a different color then your head hair."

"My Dad has the same thing," said Dipper.

"You hungry?" asked Wendy.

"Not really, I just had breakfast," said Dipper.

"Oh. I figured since you had pulled into here, you wanted something to eat," said Wendy. Dipper looked at the restaurant, Smokey Toes. He couldn't imagine telling Wendy the truth. That he had a weird hallucination, and had a panic attack.

"No, I was just pulling over for a second," said Dipper.

"Gotcha. Well, do you maybe want to go fishing then?" asked Wendy.

"Sure. You got a ride?" asked Dipper.

"No I've been walking around town," said Wendy. "But I'll take one if you're offering."

"Yeah, get in," said Dipper. The two clamored into the car, and Dipper started towards the lake. He reached for the stereo, but remembered what had happened last time he turned it on. He retracted his hand, and decided to spend the car ride talking to Wendy.


	8. Chapter 8

Mabel carefully stuck a toe into the bathtub. She sighed with pleasure, noting it was the perfect temperature. She shut off the water, and lowered herself in. She submerged herself to her chin, and let the warmth overtake her. There was nothing more relaxing than a warm bath, and she needed some relaxing. She hadn't wanted to burden Dipper (who was clearly going through some stuff), but she was starting to get a little worried. Last night she had strange, unwelcome dreams. Mabel didn't normally have nightmares, so when they did come they were especially disturbing. She couldn't remember the details, only that someone had been watching her. It hadn't helped that, for some weird reason, she didn't like the carpet in her room. It seemed idiotic, but she was careful not to walk on it barefoot. She wasn't scared of it, it just made her uncomfortable. Seeing Waddles had helped her though. She couldn't believe she had forgotten about her pet. She remembered getting him from the fair, thinking he was so cute and cuddly. If she was staying with anyone other than Grunkle Stan, she might have had to send Waddles back. But Stan hadn't cared. She had spent the whole summer with the pig, practically attached at the hip. Soos was an awesome guy, taking care of him like that. She made a mental note to get him a thank you gift. Maybe she would knit him a sweater. And she was also thankful to Robbie. Jesus, Robbie. Mabel knew she had a tendency to fall head over heels way too fast (she had a line of irritating ex-boyfriends as proof), but there was something about Robbie that revved her engine. It wasn't even his looks (although he was a stud.) He had developed some sort of aura. It was almost supernatural. He exuded confidence. A feeling that if he wanted you, he could have you.

Mabel closed her eyes. She didn't normally like sleeping in the tub, but her restlessness last night was making her groggy. She started to sink into dreamland, the warmth of the tub fading. Things began to get hazy. There was a loud noise, and Mabel opened her eyes. She was still in the tub, but it was in another room. The walls seemed way to high, stretching into infinity. They were slate grey, splattered with red. She looked around. The massive room was almost empty besides her. The only other thing was a chair. A robed figure sat in it, facing away from Mabel.

"Hello?" said Mabel.

"Ah, you're here," the figure said. "Welcome. I suppose it's time we met."

"I recognize your voice," said Mabel. "I used to know you."

"No!" the thing shouted. Mabel jumped. The voice had so much anger in it. The figure was silent for a second, then it continued.

"No, no. You knew me before I ascended," the figure said. Its voice was calm. "I am different now. No longer the person you once knew. Thanks to the two, I have become something greater. Much greater. I'm no longer a human. No longer one of you."

"What... what's the two?" asked Mabel. The figure chuckled.

"Oh, that's right. You've forgotten," said the figure. "It will come to you soon enough. Your memories will return." The figure chuckled again. Mabel realized she was shaking with terror. "I guarantee you will wish they hadn't."

"Gideon," Mabel whispered. "You're Gideon." This time the figure laughed. Mabel gasped. It wasn't at all human.

"No. The Gideon you knew is dead," the figure said.

"But your voice..." said Mabel.

"Enough!" shouted the figure. Mabel could barely control herself. She was more afraid then she had ever been in her life. "I come here with a warning. I shouldn't, but you are owed one. You are pure of heart, pure of intent. It may not seem it, but I am not completely evil. It would bring me no joy to corrupt you." The figure cracked its neck, and continued. "Leave town. Get in your brothers car, leave, and never come back."

"But... but this is me and Dipper's-"

"DO NOT SAY THAT NAME!" roared the figure. The entire room shook with the force of it. "Do. Not. Speak of him." Mabel thought her heart would stop. The once warm tub was now ice cold. The chill seemed to seep into her bones. "He stays. You may leave, but he must stay."

"I'm not leaving without my brother," said Mabel.

"Fine," said the figure. "I did not think you would heed my warning. But now I can do what must be done." The figure slowly started to turn. "It begins, Mabel Pines. Gravity Falls will be destroyed." The figure was almost facing her now. "I regret that you must be destroyed with it." She looked down, desperate to avoid the figure's gaze. When she did, her last facet of calm faded. She was no longer in water. She was bathing in blood. She screamed.

"Mabel!" someone shouted. Mabel snapped awake, looking around. She was back in the bathroom. "Mabel, are you okay?" She was too overwhelmed to say anything. The dream was still fresh in her head, vivid like a recent memory. "Mabel! Mabel, I'm coming in!" The door swung open.

"Grenda?" Mabel stared at her friend. The look of worry on her friends face brought her back to earth. "It's okay Grenda. I was just having a bad dream."

"Oh, okay," said Grenda. They stared at each other for a second. "So, I'm gonna leave now," Grenda said. Mabel looked down, and covered herself.

"Yeah, I'm kinda naked and stuff," Mabel said. "Let me get some clothes on, and we'll hang out. It's nice to see you."

"Nice to see you too," said Grenda. She gasped. "Not like that. I don't mean that I like seeing you naked, although you're pretty, but-"

"Grenda!" Mabel shouted.

"Right, sorry." Grenda left the bathroom, and closed the door. Mabel leaned back against the porcelain. She wasn't embarrassed (they were both girls, it was whatever), but she was still scared. That hadn't felt like a dream. It had felt real. She felt like she needed to talk to Dipper. Maybe he had been on the money about Gravity Falls. Maybe something terrible was happening here. But that was later. Mabel got out of the tub, dried off, and threw on some clothes. She walked out, and saw Grenda sitting near the gift shop.

"Hey girl!" she shouted. Grenda lit up, and the two ran at each other. The hugged, Grenda lifting Mabel off her feet. She put Mabel down. "It's been forever."

"I know," said Grenda. "When I heard you were coming up, I had to see you."

"Thanks!" said Mabel. "Where's Candy?" Grenda frowned, and explained that she was in Korea for school. "Oh man," said Mabel. "That's too bad."

"Yeah," said Grenda. "But at least I got you." Grenda punched Mabel's shoulder, and almost knocked her down.

"Wow," said Mabel. "You're crazy strong now."

"Yup," said Grenda. "Started doing bodybuilding. It's been a lot of fun." As the two talked about what they had been up to the past five years, they wandered outside. As they did, Soos came back into the house. He walked around, sweeping and tending to some of the exhibits. After a few seconds, he felt a pressure in his bladder.

"Oh crud," he said. He set down the broom, and sprinted to the bathroom. He opened the door, and felt numbness envelop him. He fell to the floor, unable to accept what he was seeing. The bathroom was covered in blood. It was like someone had bathed in it. He closed his eyes, shook his head, and reopened them. The bathroom was clean. He did a double take. "What the heck," he muttered. He got up, and inspected the bathroom. It had the normal bathroom dirt, but nothing out of the ordinary. He shrugged, and put the incident out of his head. He went, washed his hands, and closed the door behind him.


	9. Chapter 9

The sun was beginning to set on Gravity Falls. Dipper and Wendy has spent all day together. They hadn't meant to do it, it had just happened. After they were done fishing (Dipper could have sworn he saw something massive in the water, but Wendy had dismissed it as a shadow), they had gone bowling. Both were equally terrible. They laughed as ball after ball rolled into the gutters, and cheered when they finally managed to hit a pin or two. Once, Wendy had slipped as she was throwing the ball. Dipper managed to catch her before they hit the floor. He held her for a second, until she righted herself. They both gave an awkward chuckle, and continued to bowl. Neither knew, but both had enjoyed that little moment immensely.

On the opposite side of town, Mabel and Grenda spent time together. They went to a movie, a silly romantic comedy. They both agreed the movie was terrible, but both secretly liked it. Afterwords they went to the pool, and laid out on the chairs to sunbathe. The whole time they giggled and gossiped, talking about what they had missed over the past five years. They bonded fast, the five year absence soon forgotten. As they sun fell, the two changed back into their normal outfits, got into Grenda's massive van, and headed home.

The twins got back to the shack at about the same time. Night had fallen, and the moon was full in the sky. Dipper pulled up in his car, having dropped Wendy off back at her house. Mabel was walking towards the door.

"Wait up!" shouted Dipper. Mabel turned around, and smiled.

"Hey Dip!" said Mabel. Dipper ran up to his sister, and slung an arm around her shoulder. "Where were you all day?" asked Mabel.

"Hanging out with Wendy," said Dipper. He had a big, goofy grin on his face.

"Really? Wendy from the shack?" asked Mabel.

"The one and the same," said Dipper.

"Looks like it went well," said Mabel.

"We had fun," said Dipper. "What about you? Do anything fun?"

"I hung out with Grenda," said Mabel. "We watched a dumb movie."

"Nice," said Dipper. They walked to the front of the house, and noticed a note taped to the door. Dipper took his arm off his sisters shoulders, and pulled the note from the door. "Dear kids," he read. "Sorry I can't come home tonight. It's a long story, but we need to replace an exhibit. I will be home tomorrow. We should try to do something. Maybe see a movie. I think there's a romantic comedy out that Mabel might enjoy. Thanks for understanding. Grunkle Stan."

"Well that stinks," said Mabel. "I wanted to spend some time with him tonight."

"Same here," said Dipper. "But I guess he still has to take care of the shack."

"True, true," said Mabel. "Guess we're watching TV or something."

"Yup," said Dipper. The two walked inside, Mabel closing the door behind them. Dipper flicked the light switch, but nothing happened. "Weird," he said.

"Must have blown a fuse," said Mabel. Dipper noticed a quiver in her voice.

"You okay?" asked Dipper.

"Fine," said Mabel.

"Cause you seem a little freaked out," said Dipper.

"Nope, I'm all good," said Mabel. "Nothing to worry about. Just because it's all dark, and spooky and stuff. No big deal."

"Don't worry, I'm sure there's a flashlight in the house," said Dipper. "I'll go find it." Dipper walked away from his sister, but Mabel ran up and grabbed him.

"Wait Dipper," Mabel whimpered. "Okay, I lied. I'm scared. Something really weird happened to me today."

"You too?" asked Dipper. "Something really crazy happened to me as well."

"Really?" asked Mabel. "What?"

"Well, I was in the car-" Dipper stopped speaking. "Did you hear that?" he asked. Mabel gulped.

"Maybe it was Waddles," said Mabel.

"It doesn't sound like a pig," said Dipper.

"Then what is it?" asked Mabel. Dipper could feel her shaking.

"It's probably nothing Mabel. Maybe-" the sound came again. It was unmistakable. It was a deep, throaty growl. "Oh shit," said Dipper.

"We gotta get outta here," said Mabel. Her voice was shaky, close to panic. "Get back to the car, go somewhere else."

"It could just be a possum or something," said Dipper. "Right Mabel?" Mabel didn't answer. "Mabel?" Dipper turned to look at Mabel. Her face had turned the color of spoiled milk. He slowly followed her gaze. In the doorway of to the kitchen was a huge figure. He couldn't make out any details, only that it was so tall it nearly reached the ceiling. "What the hell is that?" Dipper whispered. Mabel just shook her head. The figure took a step towards them. The growling sound came again. It got louder as the thing got closer. The thing took another step into the living room, and a beam of moonlight hit its face. It was covered in fur matted with mud and gore. It had long teeth, with foaming spit running down its jowls. Its eyes were yellow, the pupils pitch black. It stunk bad. The smell began to fill Dipper's nostrils, nearly making him gag.

"Oh no," said Mabel. "Oh no, oh no, oh-" the thing leaned its head back, and let out a howl. Both Dipper and Mabel clasped their ears. The volume of it shook the walls. A single crack appeared in the window, skewing the moonlight that slanted on the beast. It got on all fours, and tensed itself up.

"Run!" shouted Dipper. He grabbed his sister by her arm, and booked it out of the shack. The werewolf ran after them, its growl now a roar. Dipper ran out the door, and slammed it behind him. The werewolf smashed into it. With a crash, the door flew off its hinges. Dipper and Mabel continued to run towards the car, both of them breathing hard. The thing stood on the porch of the shack. It raised its head and unleashed another howl. Dipper finally reached the car. He put his hands in his pockets, trying to find his keys.

"Hurry Dipper!" screamed Mabel. The werewolf had bounded off the porch, and was sprinting at them. Dipper looked in his car window, and felt his heart drop into his stomach. His keys were still in the ignition. He had locked himself out. He turned towards the wolf, and things started to go in slow motion. The thing came towards them, blood and spit streaming from its mouth. Mabel was screaming, raising her hands in front of her face. But Dipper was not afraid. Instead, he was filled with a sense of calm. He closed his eyes, and a vision filled his head.

He was sitting with Mabel. They were both twelve. They were bruised and bloodied. Mabel had a huge gash in her cheek, and a slash from her hip to her knees. Dipper looked like he had been skydiving without a parachute. The two leaned against each other. Dipper held a book in his hands. He wrote in the back of it. 'If you ever have need of me, simply call, and I will appear.' The vision faded, and Dipper knew what he had to do.

He opened his eyes, and whispered, "three." He looked in his hands. The three book was there, its pages open. "MOVE!" said Dipper. He grabbed Mabel, and whirled her out of the way. A huge clawed hand missed her face by inches. He fell to the ground, and reached into the book. He felt something leafy in his hand. He pulled it out, and stood back up. The werewolf turned to greet him. It opened its mouth, and lunged. Dipper threw the thing in his hand at the werewolf. It landed in its open jaws. The beast gasped, and began to moan and thrash.

"What's going on?" asked Mabel.

"Wolfsbane," answered Dipper. The werewolf continued to moan and convulse, until it vomited violently. It collapsed, and was still.

"Did... did you kill it?" asked Mabel. Dipper looked in the book. It was open to the page on werewolves. He read it quickly.

"No. It says here that wolfsbane calms it, and causes it to become a human again," said Dipper.

"Wait, where did you get that book?" asked Mabel.

"I don't know," said Dipper. "I kind of wished for it, and it was here."

"I recognize it," said Mabel. "I feel like it's important."

"Look!" said Dipper. He pointed towards the werewolf. It was changing shape, contorting back into human form. "That looks painful," said Dipper.

"Wait a minute," said Mabel. "He's starting to look familiar."

"No way," said Dipper. "It can't be." The werewolf had become human again. He got up, and shook his head.

"Dude, where am I?" asked Soos.


	10. Chapter 10

"Oh man, you've gotta be kidding me," said Dipper. Soos looked down at himself. Mabel slapped her hands over her eyes, and let out several uncomfortable giggles. "I have several questions," said Soos." But maybe I should put something on first."

"That sounds like a good plan," said Dipper. "You can raid my closet if you need to."

"Thanks dude," said Soos. "I am having one heck of a day." Soos began to walk back towards the house, mumbling to himself. "First the register breaks again, then the bathroom got all crazy, now this."

"Is... is he gone?" asked Mabel.

"Yeah, you can open your eyes," said Dipper. Mabel took her hands away from her eyes, and groaned.

"That was way more of Soos than I ever wanted to see," said Mabel.

"You and me both," agreed Dipper. He looked down at the book in his hands. "Thank God for this thing. Without it, we'd both be shish kabob." Dipper turned it over. "Now that I think about it, I've definitely seen this book somewhere before. Not just seen it, I've written in it."

"Can we just take a second to acknowledge that we just got attacked by a werewolf?" asked Mabel. "That kind of thing doesn't happen everyday."

"I know," said Dipper. "But..."

"It felt normal," finished Mabel.

"Yeah. That almost scares me more than Soos being a werewolf," said Dipper. "I should be cowering in fear, unable to believe what just happened. Instead I feel like this sort of thing used to be just another day in the office."

"I wonder why," said Mabel.

Dipper began to flip thought the pages of the book. As he did, it began to come back to him. "No. No way," he said. Dipper began to tear up. "Oh God. Oh my God. This kind of thing used to happen all the time, didn't it?" He pealed through page after page. It was all information on monsters. Goblins, Gnomes, Bugbears, Floating Eyeballs, Demons. The list went on and on. "Everything in this book is real. And I know it. I know it for a fact." Dipper dropped the book, and collapsed. He put his head in his hands, and sobbed. He felt small again. No matter how tall he got, no matter if he grew a beard, he was still just a little kid. The same little kid who wouldn't sleep if his closet was open even a crack. The little kid who would be paralyzed with fear if his night-light went off. Because that little kid had believed in monsters. Monsters... they weren't supposed to be real. But here was a whole book that said otherwise. Dipper felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up. Mabel was crying with him.

"Let's go," said Mabel. "Let's get in the car, and go."

"I can't," said Dipper. Mabel stomped her foot, like a child having a tantrum.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because that wouldn't be right," said Dipper. He stood up, and dusted himself off. He was still crying, but he had regained his composure. "Something happened last time we were here. I know that now. We did something amazing. Something that should have stopped all this. The monsters shouldn't be here anymore, but they are. Something went wrong."

"I know," said Mabel. "Everything is starting to come back to me. We used to fight these things all the time. We were kids, so we could believe they were real without going crazy. We fought them nearly everyday for our entire summer."

"Yeah," said Dipper. "And in the end, we did something. I can't remember what. But we did something, and it should have destroyed them."

"Well obviously it didn't," said Mabel. "No we have a weresoos to deal with."

"I guess we should go talk to him," said Dipper. "Tell him what's going on."

"Do you think he'll believe us?" asked Mabel. "From what I gathered, most of the town has forgotten what's going on."

"Maybe, maybe not. But we still have a responsibility to him," said Dipper.

"True," said Mabel. "But then what? What are we going to do about..." she pointed towards the book. "Everything in there."

"I don't know," said Dipper. "We'll have to try to find out what we did last time. Until then, we fight them."

"I wish it weren't our responsibility," said Mabel.

"Maybe it doesn't have to just be ours," said Dipper. "Maybe we can convince people to help us." Mabel snorted.

"Right," she said. "Cause nobody will think we're crazy. 'Hey Grunkle Stan, no biggie, but could you help us fight some vampires? And after that, we were thinking of hitting a cave full of ghouls.' Yeah, he won't think that's weird at all."

"Well we have to try," said Dipper. "I kind of knew something like this would be coming. There was a voice, in my car. It spoke over the radio. Told me I was gonna die."

"Something happened to me as well," said Mabel. "Gideon came to me, in a dream. Told me he was going to destroy the town."

"Gideon," hissed Dipper. "I bet he's behind all this."

"Maybe," said Mabel. "He's definitely involved somehow."

"Well we should go confront the little shit," said Dipper. "Maybe beat some answers out of him."

"Tomorrow," said Mabel. "Tonight, we need to help Soos. And we should probably reread the book," she said. "I have a feeling we should work in the daylight anyway."

"True," said Dipper. "Alright. Tonight, we help Soos and reread the book. Tomorrow..."

"We fight the battle between good and evil," sighed Mabel. "I thought this kind of thing only happened in stories."

"Well this isn't a story, Mabel," said Dipper. "This is real life."

"I know," whispered Mabel. "I just wish it wasn't."

"So much for having an awesome summer," said Dipper.

"At least we still have each other," said Mabel. Dipper smiled, and hugged her sister.

"Yeah. And that's a heck of a lot," Dipper said.


	11. Chapter 11

"I kinda wondered what was going on," said Soos. "I just thought I was sleepwalking or something." Soos was sitting at the kitchen table. He was wearing Dipper's least favorite pajamas. They were banana yellow, and covered in silly pictures of cartoon ducks.

"I guess you are, in a sense," said Mabel. She was dabbing Soos's cheeks with a wet washcloth. "Geez Soos, what kind of werewolf eats an entire jar of grape jelly?"

"I'm just glad it wasn't blood," said Dipper. He was still looking through the book. Dipper was mesmerized by its contents. It was incredibly thick, and each page had a new horror. The idea that they would have to fight these things night after night filled him with dread.

"Me too," said Mabel. "I was worried about Waddles for a while there." Soos's face turned pale.

"I would never eat Waddles, werewolf or not," said Soos. Waddles, who had been pacing around the group, let out a snort. "See, he knows," said Soos. He scratched the pig behind the ear.

"Hold still," admonished Mabel. She was scrubbing a particularly stubborn spot of jam off his eyebrow. "There we go. All clean."

"Floating eyeballs?" asked Dipper. "Oh man, that is so gross."

"Maybe we should take a rest with that thing," said Mabel.

"But we have to read it!" said Dipper. "How else are we gonna know what's coming?"

"I kinda wish we didn't," sighed Mabel. "I'm kinda hoping this is all a really bad dream."

"Me too," said Soos. "I was saving that jam for a special sandwich." Mabel shook her head.

"Really Soos?" she asked. "You just found out that every full moon you're going to turn into a werewolf, and you're worried about a sandwich?"

"It was gonna be a really good sandwich," said Soos.

"Uh oh," groaned Dipper.

"No. No uh oh's," said Mabel. "I can't handle any uh oh's right now."

"Well you're gonna have to try," said Dipper. "Cause this is kind of a big one." He showed Soos and Mabel the page on werwolves. "Turns out the whole turning into a werewolf during the full moon thing is just a superstition. They turn more often than that."

"How much more?" asked Mabel. She looked at the book, and swooned. Soos caught her before she hit the ground.

"But it's all good dudes," said Soos. "We can just do that wolfsbane thing again. Did you put any more in that book?"

"No, there was only the one stalk taped in the book," said Dipper. "And it says here it's extremely rare."

"So we have a problem," said Soos.

"Yup. You okay Mabel?" asked Dipper.

"Soos... werewolf... every night..." Mabel's eyes were glazed over, and her tongue hung out of her mouth. She seemed off in her own little world.

"Hey!" shouted Dipper. He snapped his fingers in front of her face. Her eyes focused, and she put her tongue back in. "We don't have time for la la land right now. We have to make a plan for this. Unless you want to worry about being eaten every night, we need to find a way to help Soos."

"I don't understand," said Soos. "Nothing bit me."

"It doesn't have to," said Dipper. "It says here it's spread by..." Dipper blushed. "Um, physical contact." Mabel squealed and jumped away from Soos.

"Oh my God, why didn't you tell me sooner Dipper!" Mabel screamed. "I'm gonna be a werewolf! Oh no, think of all the shaving!"

"No, not normal physical contact," said Dipper. "Only, uh," he cleared his throat. "Intimate physical contact."

"Oh," said Mabel. A smile spread on her face. "Soos, you dog."

"Wolf, actually," said Soos.

"So, do you have a girlfriend that disappears every night?" asked Dipper. Soos frowned. "No," said Soos. "I met a girl at the diner a couple of days ago. We really hit it off, had a great time. I thought things were going great, but-"

"She left before nightfall," said Dipper. Soos nodded. "Well, at least you know it wasn't your fault. She just didn't want to eat you."

"Is it weird I kinda wish she had stayed?" said Soos. "Maybe we could have worked it out." "That's true love in the making," said Mabel. "If you can stay together when your significant other turns into a man eating beast, you can handle anything."

"Well I wish she had stayed," said Dipper. "She's the only way to cure you."

"What do you mean?" asked Soos.

"Says here that the only way to cure a werewolf is to..." Dipper trailed off. "Man, this book is just full of bad news.

"What!?" asked Soos. "What's the cure?"

"We have to kill her," said Dipper.

"Oh no," said Mabel. Soos shook his head.

"Well I'm not doing that," said Soos. "No way. So we're just gonna have to figure out something else."

"Agreed," said Dipper. "I'm not killing anybody."

"So what do we do?" asked Mabel.

"We Oz him," said Dipper. He closed the book, and began looking around the cabin.

"Oz me?" asked Soos. "You're gonna make me watch Judy Garland movies?"

"No, Oz from Buffy the Vampire Slayer," said Dipper. "When he turned into a werewolf, they locked him in a cage." Dipper smiled. "We don't have a cage, but I know where we can put you." He led Soos and Mabel to the back of the shack. They stopped in front of an empty display case. It was a cube of hard plastic, with a door carved in it. "There's no way Soos can get through this. This is industrial strength stuff," said Dipper.

"Isn't it kind of cruel though?" said Mabel. "Sticking Soos in this thing every night?"

"I'd rather be stuck in here than kill anyone," said Soos. "I won't remember it anyway."

"Okay," said Mabel. "But don't worry Soos. We'll look for another cure."

"Yeah," said Dipper. "This book can't know everything. We'll find a way to help you without hurting your friend." Soos smiled, and hugged both of the kids.

"Thanks guys," said Soos. He let them go, and looked at the clock. It was almost three in the morning. "You two should try to get some sleep. I'll lock myself in here in case the wolfsbane wears off."

"I don't think I'm gonna get a whole lot of sleep," said Mabel.

"Well we have to try," said Dipper. "We can't fight evil if we're super tired."

"All right, I'll try," said Mabel. The twins helped Soos into the display case. One he was in, they closed and locked the door.

"Good night guys," said Soos.

The twins left him in his case, and went to their respective bedrooms. Waddles curled up next to the display case, and watched Soos struggle to go to sleep. Despite the excitement, both were twins asleep as soon as they hit the pillow. An hour later, the front door opened. A tired Grunkle Stan wandered through the house. On his way to his bedroom, he saw Soos in the case. He stared at it for a second, then shrugged.

"Probably had too much to drink," Stan said. He gave Waddles a pat, and wandered off to his bedroom. "Weird pajamas though. Those ducks are just terrible."


	12. Chapter 12

Tambry and Wendy sat together in Wendy's bedroom. The window was open, and a cool breeze was blowing. Tambry was sitting in front of a mirror styling her hair. Wendy was laid out on the beanbag chair, flipping through a terrible paperback she had bought at a used bookstore.

"Oh my God, this is truly awful," said Wendy. "I figured it would be bad, but I didn't think it would be this bad."

"Why would you buy a book you knew was gonna suck?" asked Tambry. She took a bobby pin out of her hair and stuck it between her teeth.

"To learn how to write better," said Wendy. "I read good books, but I think reading bad books is just as important. It teaches you what not to do." Wendy turned a page. "Plus it's good fun. Kind of like watching a bad movie, except more booky."

"Well what is that book teaching you?" asked Tambry.

"A ton of really disgusting euphemisms," said Wendy. "It's all terrible similes and mixed metaphors."

"Oh, it's one of those books," said Tambry. She took the pin out of her teeth, and put it back in her hair. She had tried to give herself an updo, but had failed miserably. "My Grandma used to have a whole bookshelf full of them. I didn't understand what they were until I got older. And when I did, ugh, gag city. There is nothing romantic about those."

"I know!" said Wendy. "Who buys these?"

"Bored college students," said Tambry. "And my Grandma, apparently." She let her hair loose, and blew a strand out of her eyes. "Hey, where were you all day? I tried calling you, but your phone was off."

"I ran into Dipper," said Wendy. Tambry gasped.

"Scandal," Tambry said.

"How very valley girl of you," said Wendy. She flipped through several pages of the book, trying to find a less euphemistic passage.

"I know, I know," said Tambry. "I can't help it. So what happened?"

"We hung out," said Wendy. "He was totally chill. He understood that what happened in the past was just the past, and we moved on. So we went fishing, then we went bowling. It was..." she thought about Dipper holding her in his arms. He had gotten a lot bigger in five years. His muscles had come in, and he was wearing that beard. She had given him crap for it, but it made him look quite dashing. He wasn't that awkward twelve year old who she had fooled around with out of pity. He was a man now. "... fun," Wendy finished.

"Oh. My. God," said Tambry. She turned around to look at Wendy. "He's hot now, isn't he?"

"What?" Wendy hid her face behind her novel, and giggled. "Come on, why would you think that."

"He totally is!" Tambry was jumping up and down in her seat. "Oh man, you should see your face right now! You are so into him."

"I am not," said Wendy. "I will admit that he's changed a lot in five years."

"I cannot believe this," said Tambry. "You are something else Wendy."

"If you say so," said Wendy. There was a knock at the door.

"Mom, will you get that?" asked Tambry. There was silence. "Oh right, they're out." Tambry finished fooling with her hair, and walked out of the bedroom. She passed through the living room, got to the front door, and opened it. A wheezing, pale man stood in front of her. His white hair was stuck to his forehead, and his normally albino-like complexion was red with exertion. "Gideon?"

"I have to warn her!" shouted Gideon. He grabbed Tambry's shirt, and gasped for air. "She's in danger. My other me, he's... he's..."

"What the hell is your problem!" said Tambry. She pushed Gideon off her, and brushed off her shirt. "Listen wacko, I don't know what your deal is, or why you're here, but-"

"It's Wendy," said Gideon. "She's in danger."

"Danger? What are you talking about?" asked Tambry.

"She's-" Gideon stopped talking. He suddenly looked very frightened. He looked around, as if he was being watched. "He knows I'm here. Just tell her to be careful! It's coming for her!" He began to back away from Tambry. "Tell her to lock her windows. Tell her to keep vigilant, and trust no one. And for God's sake, tell her to stay away from Dipper Pines." Gideon then burst into a run, fleeing form Tambry's house as fast as his legs could carry him.

"What a weirdo," said Tambry. She slammed the door, and walked back to Wendy's room.

"Who was that?" asked Wendy.

"That Gideon kid," said Tambry.

"Gideon Gleeful?" asked Wendy.

"The one and the same," said Tambry. "Ugh, what a little creep."

"What did he want?" asked Wendy.

"I don't know," said Tambry. "He was all crazy and sweaty. I think he was having a spaz attack or something."

"Oh," said Wendy. "How's he doing anyway? Ever since his business collapsed..."

"He's working in a garage now," said Tambry. "My friends told me that he totally lost his mind. I didn't care one way or the other, but now I know they weren't kidding. If he had any marbles, they are long gone. I was worried he was gonna attack me or something."

"Poor kid," muttered Wendy. "He was a celebrity."

"Some celebrity," said Tambry. "He did say something about Dipper." Wendy put down her novel.

"Dipper? Dipper Pines?" asked Wendy.

"Do you know any other Dipper's?" asked Tambry.

"Good point," said Wendy. "What'd he say?"

"He said to stay way from him," said Tambry.

"What?" Wendy shook her head, and picked her book back up. "He doesn't have any business telling me who to stay away from."

"Like I said, total weirdo," said Tambry. The two talked long into the night, neither aware of what was going on opposite town. Neither was aware that across town Dipper and Mabel were battling a werewolf. Or that Gideon was in his room, a strange dark figure towering over him, telling him if he ever did that again he would be torn apart. Neither were aware that Robbie was at his house pacing back and forth, reciting a chant over and over again. He kept looking in a mirror, as if his perfect figure would be replaced by something horrifying. Neither were aware that Pacifica Northwest was in her room, bathed in terrible green light, speaking in tongues and casting spells of ill omen. And neither were aware that something that had slept for five years was slowly gaining power. That it was again ripping the fabric of space and time. That horrible creatures were worming their way into Gravity Falls. Neither were aware that two children would be kidnapped by a man with a pumpkin for a head, never to be seen again. That a man's date would bite into his neck and drain him of all his blood. That a child's nightmare of being stared at by floating eyeballs wasn't a nightmare at all. They weren't aware of anything amiss in Gravity Falls. They weren't aware of the truth.

Hell was coming to Gravity Falls.


	13. Chapter 13

"You kids look terrible," said Grunkle Stan. Dipper and Mabel were at the breakfast table. They had managed to dress themselves, but hadn't done much else. Mabel took her face out of her cereal bowl. A few flakes fell off her nose, and milk ran down her cheeks. Dipper, who was nodding off in the middle of eating his toast, spat out the bread and fell off his chair.

"Thanks Grunkle Stan," muttered Mabel. "That's exactly what a girl wants to hear when she wakes up." She wiped her face, and turned towards Dipper. "You okay Dip?"

"Yup. I think a few of my bones aren't broken," groaned Dipper.

"Good, because we have a busy day ahead of us!" said Grunkle Stan. "I got us a spot down by the beach. We're gonna fish, go swimming, get a tan..." Grunkle Stan droned on. Mabel began to nod off again, her face getting closer and closer to the cereal. A loud buzz woke her back up. "Huh, someone's calling me," said Grunkle Stan. He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. "Yeah, this is Stan. Uh huh. Really. You don't say. Well, if you really need me." He closed the phone, and sighed. "Bad news kids. That was from my insurance company. They need to have an emergency meeting with me. Something about me not paying my bills, I don't know. Probably no big deal." He put the phone back in his pocket, and walked out the door. "I promise we'll spend time together. Mark my words: this will be your best summer ever!" He closed the door behind him, and left the twins in silence.

"Not very likely," said Dipper.

"You okay there on the floor?" asked Mabel.

"Yeah. I think I might try to get some more sleep," said Dipper.

"Me too," said Mabel. "My cereal was making a pretty good pillow."

"You feel like we're forgetting something?" asked Dipper.

"I don't know," said Mabel. "I'm still dealing with the fact that we have to battle evil for the next couple of weeks. Something may have slipped my mind."

"Yeah, it's probably not important," said Dipper. He yawned, closed his eyes, and pulled his hat over his eyes. Mabel pushed her bowl away, and laid her head on the table. The two began to fall asleep. As their snores filled the room, Waddles walked in. He sidled over to Mabel, and began butting his head into her knee.

"Stop it Waddles, I'm trying to sleep," said Mabel. The pig squealed in irritation. Mabel snapped awake. "Oh crap! Dipper, we forgot about Soos!" Dipper opened his eyes, and sat up.

"Oh shit!" He and Mabel ran to the plastic display case. Soos was still asleep, his arms and legs sprawled out like a starfish. Dipper knocked on the door, and Soos stirred. He sat up, and rubbed his eyes.

"What up dudes?" Soos asked. Dipper fished in his pocket for his keys, and pulled them out. He unlocked the display case door. Soos walked out, and stretched. "Oh man. I slept like a rock. Last night must have been crazy." He turned to the twins. "Did we have a crazy party or something?" The Twins gave each other a look. Soos slapped himself on the forehead. "Oh right, I turned into a werewolf. Sheesh, you think I'd remember something like that. That kind of thing doesn't happen every day. Well, now it does, but it didn't used to."

"Glad you got some sleep," said Dipper. Soos frowned.

"It doesn't look like you two got any," said Soos.

"I tried," said Mabel. "But I kept having bad dreams."

"Me too," said Dipper.

"Aw man, that sucks," said Soos. The two twins stared down at the floor. Soos suddenly swept them up in a hug. "Come on guys, don't be so down. We'll figure this out. Everything will turn out all right." The twins returned his hug.

"Thanks Soos," whispered Mabel.

"No problem little lady," said Soos. "Now I have to go change out of these ridiculous pajamas. Me and Robby have a lot of work to do." Soos looked around. "I'm surprised he isn't here yet. I guess something's keeping him."

"We're gonna be pretty busy too," said Dipper. "We have to talk to some people, try to find more out about what's going on."

"I wish I could help," said Soos. "But it seems like I'm pretty tied up from now on. Between working during the day and wolfing out during the night, I got a pretty packed schedule."

"It's no problem Soos," said Dipper. Soos walked off, and the two twins wandered into the living room. They flopped down on the couch.

"We should go talk to some people," said Mabel. "Gideon, for one. I feel like he has something to do with all this."

"For sure," said Dipper. "And I want to talk to Wendy."

"Wendy?" asked Mabel. "Really?"

"Yeah," said Dipper. "She's a smart girl. She might be able to help us out."

"Surely you have no ulterior motive," said Mabel.

"I don't," said Dipper. "And don't call me Shirley." The two twins chuckled at the stupid joke. "I think we should take a nap first."

"I agree," said Mabel. "Can't hunt evil if you're super tired." The two twins closed their eyes, and were asleep instantly. A minute or so later Soos came back in the room. He had changed out of the silly duckie pajamas and was back in his work clothes. He noticed the two twins sleeping, and tiptoed out the front door. Soos jogged towards the parking lot. He heard a screech, and turned. Robbie had just pulled up. He got out of his car, and walked towards Soos. He was wearing a thick wool ski mask that covered all of his face except his eyes.

"Hey Robbie," said Soos. "What's up with the mask?"

"I got a cold," said Robbie. His voice was deep and raspy. "I'm wearing this so I don't get anybody sick."

"That's nice of you," said Soos. "I was planning on sweeping up the lot. Do you wanna restock the vending machine before we open?"

"Sounds like a plan," said Robbie. He walked brusquely past Soos, and went in through the gift shop entrance. He locked the door behind him. He went to every other door that led into the room, and closed and locked them. When he was sure no one could get in, he walked over to the register. He pulled out a mirror he kept in a nearby cabinet. He peeled off the ski mask, and gazed into the mirror. "Oh God," he groaned. "Why isn't the spell working?" He chanted a strange verse a few times, but nothing happened. He roared in frustration, and threw the mirror on the ground. A few rooms down, Mabel jumped out of her seat.

"Did you hear that?" asked Mabel.

"Apply hot wax to soothe irritated lobsters," mumbled Dipper. Mabel giggled.

"He's so silly when he sleeps," Mabel said. She looked around, shrugged, and went back to sleep. Back in the gift shop, Robbie was sweeping up the shattered remains of the broken mirror. He had unlocked all the doors, and put the ski mask back on his face.

"Gotta stay calm," Robbie muttered under his breath. "He'll fix this. He'll fix everything. He'll-" Robbie stopped speaking. A shadow had fallen over him. He turned, and gasped. "Wait!" he shouted. "I'm with Him! And Gideon! I'm with them!" The shadow began to cover him. Robbie cowered in fear. He raised his hands in front of his face. "No! Please!" The shadow fell over him completely, and he screamed. Both twins woke up, and turned towards the noise.

"What the hell was that?" asked Dipper.

"It was Robbie!" cried Mabel. "Quick, grab the book! We have to help him!" Dipper patted himself down, panic growing on his face, "Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Dipper said. "I can't find the book!"

"Go check your room!" shouted Mabel. "I gotta help Robbie!" Dipper bolted upstairs, while Mabel booked it towards the gift shop. She burst in, and looked around. "Robbie! Robbie, what's going on?"

"It's all good Mabel," said Robbie. He was behind the counter. He smiled at her, and gave her a wave. Mabel stared at him open-mouthed.

"But... but..." Mabel shook her head. "Me and Dipper heard you scream."

"I saw a spider," said Robbie. "No big thing."

"Oh," said Mabel. "Must have been a hell of spider."

"It was," said Robbie. He spread his hands apart. "It was like this big." Dipper ran into the room, holding the book over his head.

"What is it!" Dipper shouted. "Vampire? Demon? Demon vampire?"

"None of the above," said Mabel. "Just a spider."

"An evil spider?" asked Dipper.

"No," said Mabel. "Just a regular one."

"Oh," said Dipper. "Huh. I feel a little silly." Dipper walked out of the room, and Mabel followed him. Robbie sighed, and looked at the cabinet under the counter.

"You can come out now dumb ass," said Robbie. Pacifica climbed out of the cabinet. Her blonde hair was askew, and her designer clothes were dirty.

"Great, this outfit is ruined," she grumbled.

"What were you thinking, coming at me with an illusory spell like that?" asked Robbie.

"I forgot to turn it off," said Pacifica.

"Well you scared me half to death," said Robbie. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Besides fixing your face?" said Pacifica. Robbie frowned. "You're welcome by the way."

"Thank you," Robbie growled.

"I'm here to warn you," said Pacifica. "The good Gideon tried to warn Wendy about His return last night." Pacifica brushed the dirt from her skirt. "So things might get more complicated."

"Can't we just kill Wendy?" asked Robbie. "I'd really just like to smash her stupid face in."

"We all would," said Pacifica. "But we need her. She's the key to Dipper-"

"Get down!" said Robbie. Pacifica ducked under the cabinet. Dipper walked into the room.

"Hey Rob," said Dipper. "If Grunkle Stan comes back, would you let him know that me and Mabel are going out around town?"

"Sure," said Robbie.

"And about that whole evil spider thing..." said Dipper.

"It's all good dude," said Robbie. "Sometimes you just have one of those days."

"Exactly," said Dipper. "All right, see you later." Dipper walked out. Robbie waited for a few seconds, and motioned for Pacifica to stand back up.

"Speaking of skulls I'd like to smash in," said Robbie.

"Don't even joke about that," said Pacifica. "You kill Dipper, the whole plan gets flushed down the toilet. Besides, He has things coming for him that will cause him more pain than you ever could. Things that'll tear him limb from limb."

"Give me a while, I could probably do it," said Robbie.

"Well you have other things to take care of," said Pacifica. "We may need a contingency plan if we can't get Mabel to betray Dipper."

"What does that entail?" asked Robbie.

"Giving her the same weakness as Dipper," said Pacifica.

"How would we-" Robbie stopped talking. He pointed to himself. Pacifica nodded. "Oh no way," said Robbie.

"Why not?" asked Pacifica. "As much as I'm loath to admit it, she's an attractive girl."

Because she's Mabel Pines," said Robbie. "She the reason my face is all jacked up."

"True," said Pacifica. "But you have to do what you have to do."

"I guess," said Robbie. "Now get out of here. That idiot Soos is gonna be stopping by soon."

"I'm gone," said Pacifica. She muttered a few worlds under breath, and slowly faded into invisibility. Robbie saw what looked like a door opening and closing itself. When he was sure Pacifica was gone, he went into the back of the gift shop. He was evil, but he still had to restock the vending machines.


	14. Chapter 14

"So what's the plan?" Mabel asked Dipper. Dipper was driving towards town, and traffic was backed up. Dipper idly flipped the lid of his cap, waiting for the cars in front of him to start moving.

"Wendy is staying at Tambry's house, so I figured we could talk to her first," said Dipper. "And then we pay Gideon a visit."

"I'm not looking forward to that," said Mabel. "Whenever I think of him I get the major willies."

"Well he did try to kill us on a regular basis," said Dipper.

"Did he really?" asked Mabel.

"You don't remember?" asked Dipper. Mabel shook her head.

"No," Mabel said. "I know he had a major crush on me, and I remember being worried that I would hurt his feelings when I let him down. And I know he was kind of angry about it, but who wouldn't be? After that it all gets kind of hazy."

"Guess we're starting to remember different things," said Dipper. "We may need to start writing our memories down."

"Last time we did that the paper started to disappear," said Mabel. "I thought I was going crazy when that happened. Like literally losing my mind."

"You and me both," said Dipper. "You really start to reevaluate your mental health when six different diaries go missing." The car in front of him began to move and Dipper grunted in relief. "Thank God. When is there ever any traffic around here?"

"Whenever we need to get something done," said Mabel.

"True story," said Dipper. Dipper pulled into the town proper, and made his way to the new development to the south. He found Tambry's house, and the two got out of the car. Dipper looked at himself in the mirror. He smoothed his hair, and rubbed his beard down.

"You look fine Dipper," said Mabel.

"What?" Dipper stepped away from the mirror. "Who cares what I look like? Not me. I'm not trying to look good for anybody."

"I hope you never work for the CIA," said Mabel. The two walked up to the house and knocked on the door. They waited for a moment, and Tambry opened the door. She smiled at the sight of the twins.

"Mabel and Dipper Pines," she said. "What a pleasant surprise." She looked at Dipper. "Let me guess. You want to see Wendy, right?" Dipper scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, but-" Tambry cut him off.

"Weeeeeenddyyyyyy," she crooned. '"Dipper's heeeeerrrrrreeee." Tambry looked at Mabel. "And his sister." Tambry walked away from the door, and Wendy came running up to it. She pulled Dipper into his hug. His face went slack-jawed. Mabel rolled her eyes.

"What's up Dip?" asked Wendy. She let go of Dipper, and nodded in Mabel's direction. "And the Mabester."

"We just wanted to talk to you," said Dipper. He still had a huge, stupid grin on his face.

"About what?" asked Wendy.

"You know, I really can't remember," Dipper slurred. Mabel punched him on the arm, and addressed Wendy.

"We were actually hoping to talk to you in private," said Mabel. She looked in the house. Tambry was pretending to fool with her hair, but Mabel recognized the classic signs of eavesdropping.

"Oh sure," said Wendy. She walked out of the house, and pulled on the door. Mabel saw Tambry frown in disappointment before the door closed behind Wendy. "What's up?" Dipper seemed to have come to his senses. He puffed up his chest, pulled out the three book, and opened his mouth. He thought of what he was about to say, and turned to Mabel.

"There is no way to say this without sounding like a nutjob, is there?" he asked Mabel.

"No, not really," said Mabel.

"Say what?" asked Wendy. She looked at the book. "Wait a second! I remember that book." She tapped her chin. "Hmm... where did you get that." Dipper and Mabel exchanged a look of panic.

"Umm, I found it in the closet," Dipper said. "I was coming out of it, and I tripped on the book." Mabel stifled her laughter.

"You tripped on this book while you were coming out of the closet?" asked Wendy.

"No! I mean yes! I mean..." Dipper trailed off, and took a moment to collect himself. "I was coming out of a literal closet, not a figurative one. And yes, I tripped over this book."

"Dipper found all sorts of things when he came out of the closet," giggled Mabel. "Alas, he has yet to find true love."

"Would you knock it off?" growled Dipper.

"Sorry Dip," said Mabel. "I just want you to know that I accept you any way you are." Dipper groaned aloud, and Wendy gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"She's just giving you a hard time Dip," Wendy said. "So what's the deal with the book? I can't put my finger on it, but I remember it being kinda weird." Dipper handed the book to Wendy.

"I think it would be easier if you just read it," said Dipper. Wendy flipped it open. As she turned the pages, she contorted her face. Sometimes disgusted, sometimes intrigued, once even amused.

"Wow," Wendy said. "This is incredibly well done. I could almost believe this thing was real." She turned another page, and stopped. Her amusement quickly changed to horror. She dropped the book, and backed away.

"What!" asked Dipper. Wendy was pale and sweaty, as if she had a fever. Dipper was close to panic. "What's the matter Wendy!?"

"It's real," Wendy whispered. "Isn't it?" Mabel and Dipper nodded.

"Unfortunately," said Mabel. "I wish it weren't, but it is."

"Why did you show me this?" asked Wendy.

"We thought you could help us," said Dipper.

"Help you what?" asked Wendy.

"Fight them," said Dipper. "If you're not busy, I mean."

"You wanna fight those things!?" Wendy shouted. Mabel and Dipper nodded.

"If we don't, who will?" asked Mabel.

"I don't know. Maybe someone more qualified," said Wendy. "No offense or anything, but you two are just teenagers. How are you gonna kill..." Wendy pointed down at the book. "Those?" Dipper bent down and picked the book up. He brushed the dust off the cover.

"I really don't know," said Dipper. "But we're going to try. I guess I feel like it's sort of my responsibility to help the town."

"But why?" asked Wendy. "I just don't understand."

"It's hard to explain," said Mabel. "Let's just say we think we can stop it."

"We've done it once before," said Dipper. "We're not sure how, but we know we did. And if we did it when we were kids, we should be even better at it now that we're older."

"That's really brave of you two," said Wendy. "But I don't know if I can help. I'm just..."

"Wendy." Dipper handed the book to Mabel and took Wendy's hands in his. "I don't know how I know this, but I do. It's in my gut. I know you have to help us. I know it's scary, and that you're felling helpless. But you can stand up to these things. We need to help save the town. Think of all the people who could be in danger from these things. All your friends, all of your family." Dipper looked into Wendy's eyes. "Please help us Wendy." He lowered his voice. "Please help me." Wendy smiled.

"When do we start?" she asked.


	15. Chapter 15

Mabel, Dipper, and Wendy were all piled into the station wagon. Mabel and Wendy were talking animatedly, but Dipper was deep in thought. He kept looking towards his glove box, where he was keeping the three book. It felt like something hot and tight coiled in his stomach. He felt sick and nervous. He couldn't believe Wendy and Mabel were being so blase about this. Then again, it could just be a defense mechanism. Maybe they didn't want to think about the horrible truth of their situation. He sighed, and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. This summer should have been awesome. Their last hurrah before they went up to college. And what were they doing? Hanging out with friends? Going out to the beach? Going to parties? Nope. They were fighting monsters. He thought about school. He was always in his element there. When he was younger, he had struggled academically. But one day it all clicked. He couldn't really explain it. It just felt like a piece of a puzzle had fell into place. Suddenly, things that the teachers were saying began to make sense. Before he knew it, his report card was full of A's. He had been able to make some money tutoring. It had even helped his social standing. He had tutored some of the football players, and in turn they had invited him to some ragers.

Bu this wasn't school. He felt out of place. His whole life he had been sufficiently remarkable, passing through the crowd without disturbing the status quo. He didn't feel like he should be battling evil. He wasn't a superhero, he wasn't some sort of super genius. He was just a teenager. But he supposed that all heroes started out like this. Just regular people thrown into crazy situations. But he doubted anyone would remember what they were doing here. No one remembered anything about the last time they helped the town. It was as if everyone had their memory wiped clean.

"Hey Mabel, are you okay?" asked Wendy. Dipper looked in the rearview mirror. Mabel was pale and sweaty.

"Mabel?" Dipper shook a hand at his sister. "Mabel? What's going on?" When Mabel didn't answer, Dipper pulled the car over. He opened her door, and unbuckled her seatbelt. She wasn't moving. She was breathing shallowly, her eyes unfocused, spittle dripping from the corner of her mouth.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Wendy. Her face was creased with worry. She was holding Mabel's hand. It was clammy and cold.

"I don't know," said Dipper. "I think I should call an ambulance." Mabel heard none of this. Her mind was miles away, in another world. She was sitting in a ring of fire. A tremendous shadow, bigger then anything she had ever seen, lurked in the distance. It spoke to her. It wasn't english, and she didn't hear it in her ears. It was a series of images in her head. They were all horrible. Pictures of her brother and her friends being tortured, killed. Horrible things, things she never could have imagined by herself. The shadow thing seemed to grow more bloated as she began to grow more panicked. Back in the real world, she began to whisper.

"Stop it," Mabel said. Her voice was crackly, as if she had strep throat.

"Stop what?" asked Dipper. Mabel's eyes focused, and she stared at Dipper.

"Make it stop," Mabel said to her brother. "Please, Dipper. It's hurting me."

"What is!?" Dipper screamed. He was close to panic himself.

"I'm calling nine one one," said Wendy. As she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, Mabel gasped for air. She was back in this reality. She pushed Dipper aside, and ran towards a clearing in the forest. Dipper and Mabel both followed. She held her stomach, and began to gasp. Dipper recognized what was happening immediately.

"Turn around," Dipper said to Wendy. At first the redhead was confused, but she caught on and whirled in place. Dipper walked over to her sister, and moved her hair out of her face.

"Thank you," Mabel managed to get out. She retched, and Dipper closed his eyes. It lasted about a minute. When Mabel finished throwing up, Dipper pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. Mabel cleaned her face off, and put the hanky in her pocket. Dipper let her hair go, and Mabel did her best to regain her composure. "I feel better now," she muttered.

"We should still take you to the doctor," said Dipper. "You looked really sick."

"I'm fine now, really," said Mabel. "I wasn't sick. I was..." She tried to find the right words. "I was somewhere else. Dipper, whatever is causing all this is getting stronger. We have to hurry and find Gideon. The sooner we end all this, the better."

"You're sure you're okay?" asked Dipper.

"Positive," said Mabel. Dipper put an arm around Mabel's shoulder, and walked her to the car. Wendy followed behind them. They all got in, and Dipper started up the car.

"You said Gideon is working at the auto repair shop?" Dipper asked Wendy.

"That's what Tambry said," said Wendy.

"I never pictured him ending up there," said Dipper.

"No one did," said Wendy. Mabel was quiet. She was a little embarrassed. They rode in silence for a while, both Dipper and Wendy looking at Mabel every few seconds. They were just making sure she was okay, but it was making Mabel incredibly self-conscious. "It's coming up here on the right," said Wendy. Dipper took the turn, and pulled into the parking lot. The repair shop was an old, dirty looking place. The kind of place where you could get stuff done for cheap, but it was likely to break again in a few days. The group got out of the car, and walked towards the building. An older man sat out front in a rocking chair. He was smoking a smelly cigar, and rocking back and forth. He noticed the group coming towards him, and he nodded.

"How y'all doin?" he asked.

"Fine," said Dipper.

"Y'all don't look fine," the man said. "To be honest, y'all look mighty perturbed."

"Death in the family," said Wendy. Dipper and Mabel both gave her a confused look. She had made it up off the top of her head without thinking. The old man seemed to buy it thought.

"That's really too bad," said the old man. "My condolences."

"Thanks," said Dipper.

"Need me to look at your wagon?" the old man asked.

"Actually, we need to talk to one of your employees," said Dipper. The old man narrowed his eyes.

"Which one?" the old man asked.

"Gideon Gleeful," said Dipper. The man took a long drag on his cigar. He blew the smoke out slowly, and took the group in.

"What do you want with him?" asked the old man.

"We just need to talk," said Wendy.

"Really?" said the old man. "Or do you just want to harass him?" The old man dropped his cigar, and crushed it under his foot. "He's a hell of a hard worker, and a hell of a nice kid. He's got enough problems without a bunch of assholes coming and giving him crap."

"What?" asked Mabel. "Sir, we don't want to mess with him. We just want to talk." The man looked the group up and down, sizing them up. He thought for a second, and shrugged.

"He's inside," the old man said. "But I'm warning you. You mess with him, I'm calling the police."

"We understand," said Dipper. The group walked past the old man, and went into the building. It was just three rooms. A large office space, a bathroom, and a door that led to the garage. The walked into the garage, and looked around. It was big, and dark. Three cars were in various states of disrepair. The floor was covered in oil and grease, and the walls were smeared with spray paint. They saw a figure squirming underneath an old Crown Victoria. The group walked over to him. He came out from under the car, and Mabel gasped. Gideon had not aged well. He was still short and stocky. It wasn't cute anymore. He just looked like a fat kid. His long white hair was short now. It was a complete mess, looking like it hadn't been combed in weeks. He was pale, almost an albino. He had an bad outbreak of acne across his face, and he was covered in sweat. He turned to face them, and looked nonplussed.

"Gideon Gleeful," hissed Dipper.

"That's me," Gideon muttered. "Funny seeing you guys here. Didn't think you much cared for me."

"We don't," said Dipper.

"Oh," said Gideon. He sighed. "So you're just here to make fun of me like everyone else." He opened his arms. "Go ahead. Say what you want. Believe me, there isn't anything I haven't heard." The Pines and Wendy shared a perplexed look. This wasn't what they had expected. Gideon was far from being some sort of evil, vengeance seeking force. He was just some nerdy kid.

"We're not here to make fun of you," Mabel said. Gideon scoffed.

"Yeah right," said Gideon.

"Really," said Mabel. "We're here to ask about what's been happening around town."

"What do you mean?" said Gideon.

"Cut the crap!" said Dipper. "We know you're a part of it. You were in Mabel's dream, and Wendy said you were being crazy and yelling at Tambry."

"Well, I don't know what to say about Mabel's dream," said Gideon. "I can't really control that. And as for Tambry, I was just checking in to see how Wendy was doing. But she thinks I'm some sort of freak, so I'm sure she skewed my words."

"Why would you check in one me?" asked Wendy. Gideon looked hurt.

"We didn't hang out much, but I did see you once in a while," said Gideon. "I thought it might be nice to hang out." Dipper, Mabel, and Wendy all began to think they might have made a mistake. This didn't seem like acting. Gideon really seemed rather... rather harmless.

"Dipper," said Mabel. "I think we might have messed up."

"I think you might be right," said Dipper. Dipper walked over to Gideon. "You know what dude. You're right. We were going to come make fun of you. But you don't deserve it. It was really crappy of us, and we're sorry."

"Yup," said Wendy.

"For sure," said Mabel.

"So we're just going to leave now," said Dipper.

"Good," said Gideon. "I have a lot of work to do." The redhead and the twins backed away from Gideon. They gave him a final look, and left the way they came. Gideon stood in place for a few seconds. He felt a hand touch his shoulder.

"Excellent," his voice said. He turned around. It was his double. They were an exact physical copy in every way, down to the very last detail. But his double was somehow clearly more sinister. He radiated an aura of evil and hatred. "You've done well," his double said. "They suspect nothing." Gideon didn't say anything.


	16. Chapter 16

"The sun's going down," muttered Dipper. He, Mabel, and Wendy were sitting on the front porch of the Mystery Shack. The rest of the day had passed uneventfully. Dipper had rooted through the local papers, and had found several disturbing stories. Children disappearing, a man dead without any visible wounds. Stuff right out of horror movies. "Is Soos locked up?" he asked.

"I took care of it," said Mabel.

"I can't believe Soos is a werewolf," said Wendy.

"I can't believe any of this," said Mabel. "It's just so hard to accept."

"I know," said Dipper. "It's like one of those dreams that feels super real. Weird things are happening, but you just take it in stride. The strange and terrible seems normal."

"I this is a dream, then I kinda wish I'd wake up," said Wendy. She looked at Dipper, and smiled. "I'd miss you though. It's been fun hanging out again, even under the strange circumstances." Dipper blushed. He pulled out a notepad, and scribbled something down on it.

"We leave for patrol in an hour," Dipper said. "I have everything we need in the car. Wish we had some silver, it seems like a lot of monsters are weak to it."

"Maybe I have some silver earrings," said Wendy. "I'd have to go check."

"That'd be great," said Dipper. "We'll do that tomorrow. For now, all we do is wait." The three sat in silence, staring off into the distance. Mabel suddenly stood up.

"I can't take it!" she said. "This is too much stress." She opened the door to the Shack, and stood at the threshold. "I'm gonna go do... something." She entered the Shack, and closed the door behind her. Dipper and Wendy were alone. Wendy put her arms around her chest.

"Are you cold?" asked Dipper.

"A little," said Wendy.

"I could go get a jacket," said Dipper. Wendy scooched closer to Dipper. She put her head on his chest. Dipper got the hint. He put an arm around her, and pulled her close.

"That's better," said Wendy. Dipper became very aware of his heart. It was beating rapidly in his chest, pumping furiously. His breath picked up, and he felt his stomach flutter. All these years, and she still made him feel like this. Dipper's other girlfriends had never made him feel like Wendy did. He just couldn't explain it. There was just something about her that really got to him. He realized he was staring at Wendy, and quickly looked away. "What's a matter?" she asked.

"Nothing," said Dipper.

"That beard looks good on you, you know" said Wendy. "When you were smaller, I knew you'd grow up to be handsome." Dipper looked back at her. She was beaming at him. "I'm glad I wasn't wrong." Dipper felt an incredibly strong primal urge rumble inside him. He wanted to take her right there. He didn't care who was watching, or what had happened in the past. He took a breath, and calmed himself down.

"Thanks," he said. He wanted to say more, but before he could Wendy's smile faltered.

"Is this right?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" asked Dipper.

"I'm just thinking about what happened last time," said Wendy. "I really hurt you. And this is all going pretty fast. I'm afraid I'm going to do it again."

"You didn't hurt me," said Dipper. "When I think back on what we did, it makes me happy. I'm glad I was with you that summer."

"But I took advantage of you," said Wendy.

"No you didn't," said Dipper. "If I hadn't wanted it, then maybe. But I really, really wanted to be with you." Wendy sighed.

"Why do you have to be so awesome?" said Wendy. Dipper chuckled.

"I could ask you the same thing," said Dipper. The two looked into each others eyes. They leaned in. Dipper could see all of Wendy's freckles, could see the dimple on the top of her nose. He smelled her breath (minty, she had been chewing gum,) and could hear her quick, shallow breathing. Wendy put a hand on Dipper's cheek. She ran it down his beard, and caught his chin. She pulled him in, and they closed their eyes. The kisses were slow at first, exploratory. Dipper put his other arm around Wendy, pulled her so they were entwined. The kisses got faster and deeper, each losing themselves in the moment. Dipper began to lose all conscious thought. Everything was Wendy. Every thought, every action, all of it was about her. Dipper felt a breeze blow the hat off his head. He pushed Wendy back gently. She slowly opened her eyes. She seemed a little dazed. Dipper did his best not to laugh. "Had to come up for air," he said. He reached behind him, found his cap, and put it back on.

"You're really good at this," said Wendy.

"Guess everyone has their talents," said Dipper. He scratched the back of his head. "So, are you sure you're cool with this? If you're at all uncomfortable, we can-"

"Shut up," said Wendy. She pulled him into another kiss, and they faded back into each other. Inside, Mabel was pacing back and forth. Waddles followed her, oinking inquisitively.

"Oh Waddles," Mabel said. She picked the pig up, and held it like a baby. "What I wouldn't pay to be you. To live the stressless life of a pig." A strange memory came to her. "Oh my God," said Mabel. "I was you for a little while. No wonder I hate that freaking carpet!" She put Waddles back down, and collapsed on the sofa. "Isn't there anything in this town that isn't crazy!?" She sat straight up. "My first kiss was with a mermaid." She reached down, and picked Waddles up. She shook him. "My first freaking kiss was with a freaking mermaid!" Waddles oinked irritably. Mabel stopped shaking him, and put him back down. "Sorry buddy. I'm going a little crazy right now."

"I know the feeling," said Robbie. Mabel looked behind her. Robbie was carrying a large box. "Things around here are getting a little tense."

"Oh, you heard me talking?" said Mabel. "The whole mermaid thing was just a joke."

"What mermaid thing?" asked Robbie.

"Uh, never mind," said Mabel. "Wait, you know what's happening around here?"

"Of course I do!" said Robbie. He set the box down, and brushed some sweat off his brow. "Everyone does."

"Really?" asked Mabel.

"Yeah," sighed Robbie. "Stan's money problems have been public news for a while now."

"Money problems?" said Mabel. "I thought we were talking about monster-" She paused. "... monster roaches! Big, ugly things. Just running around town." She chuckled nervously. "But what kind of problems is he having?"

"He's struggling just to keep the shack open," said Robbie. "Business is drying up. Gravity Falls has stopped encouraging tourism. They're focusing on expanding industry, so less and less people have been coming by." Robbie shook his head. "Stan had to take money out his retirement fund last week. It really sucks."

"That's terrible!" said Mabel.

"Yeah," said Robbie. "There's a good chance we're going to have to close down the shack." He lowered his head. "I don't know what I'm going to do without this place." Mabel stood up, and walked over to Robbie. She put a hand on his shoulder.

"You'll do fine," she said. "You don't need the shack to be successful. You can do anything you want to do." Robbie scoffed.

"Come on Mabel," he said. "No one wants to hire a high school dropout."

"You'd be surprised," Mabel said. "Lots of people believe in second chances." She looked into Robbie's eyes. "I know I do." They stared at each other for a second. Mabel snapped to her senses, and backed up a few paces. "I should let you finish up," she said. "I'm sure you don't want to hang around here."

"Right," said Robbie. He picked the box back up, and began to walk away. Before he left the room, he stopped. "Thank you Mabel," he said. He walked away, and Mabel sat back down on the couch. She felt funny. Not ha-ha funny, more buzzy in the head and belly funny. She was the first to admit that she fell in love way to quick. But normally it was a lusty kind of thing. She would have a few make out sessions with the guy, and then the feelings would leave and they'd break up. But this feeling was different. When she thought of Robbie, she didn't just want to kiss him. She wanted him to hold her, to talk to him for hours. It was a deeper feeling. More than a crush.

"This isn't good," said Mabel. "I'm fighting monsters, dealing with my last summer vacation ever..." She looked towards the hall where Robbie had walked away. "And now I'm falling in love." She shook her head. "Why couldn't it have just been monsters. Monsters I can handle. But this..." She collapsed on the couch, letting her body sink into it. "Well, at least he isn't a mermaid."


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit intense. It's violent and has horror imagery. If this isn't your deal, skip this one.

"Did you call Grunkle Stan?" asked Dipper. He was reaching into the back of the car, sorting the box of weapons he had assembled. Mabel nodded.

"He's out until tomorrow, so we don't have to worry about him stumbling onto Soos," said Mabel.

"Good," said Dipper. He closed the box, shut the back door of the wagon, and turned to face Mabel. Wendy was inside the house, using the bathroom before they left for patrol. "Are you ready for this?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," said Mabel. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a small notepad. She had scribbled on it in her incomprehensibly bad handwriting. "First we stop at the diner. Then we go to the pool, the hardware store, the docks, and the apartment complexes. We hang out, and make sure nothing is going on."

"Right," said Dipper. "And maybe there won't be anything crazy happening."

"What are the chances of that?" asked Mabel.

"Slim to none," said Dipper. They heard a door open, and looked towards the Shack. Wendy walked out. Her eyes were wider then usual, and her mouth was slightly agape. "You okay?" Dipper asked.

"I saw Soos," Wendy muttered.

"He's full wolf?" asked Mabel. Wendy just nodded. "Don't think about it too much," said Mabel. "There's nothing we can do anyway."

"You sure you're up for this?" Dipper asked. Wendy nodded.

"I can handle it," Wendy said.

"All right," Dipper said. "Well, everything is loaded up and ready to go." The three stood in place, none of them wanting to move towards the car. Dipper finally inched towards the driver's seat. He slowly opened the door, and got in. After a few seconds, Mabel and Wendy followed. Mabel took shotgun, while Wendy got into the back. Dipper started up the car, and began to drive. They were silent, each filled with fear and anticipation. Mabel clutched the Three book tightly to her chest. Wendy was fiddling with a necklace she had put on. It had a golden cross on it. Dipper was white knuckling the wheel, sweat dripping down his forehead despite the air conditioning. They pulled onto the highway, and took the exit towards the town. The crossed the threshold to the town proper, and Dipper took the turn towards the Diner. The pulled into the parking lot, and the group got out. Dipper opened the back door, and pulled the box open. He picked a few things out, and stuffed them into his pockets. He closed the door, and took a breath. Greasy's was closed- it used to be a twenty-four hour joint, but they had since gone to normal business hours. The building was completely dark. The only source of light was the neon glow of the street lamps, and a flashlight that Wendy was holding. The beam was shaking. Wendy was so scared she just couldn't hold it straight.

"Everything looks all right to me," said Mabel. "Let's go."

"We have to look around," said Dipper.

"Really?" asked Mabel.

"Yeah," confirmed Dipper. The group pulled close together, and walked through the parking lot. Dipper had his hand gripped on a wooden stake he had carved. Mabel held the Three book out in front of her like a shield. Wendy held the flashlight shakily in her right hand, and gripped her cross necklace in her left. The moved past the parking lot, and towards the back of the diner. It was a patch of field, stretching into forest. There was a full dumpster.

"Smells like trash," Wendy muttered.

"Garbage sometimes does that," Mabel said. They went past the dumpster, and moved back towards the front of the diner. The continued until they had gone full circle. When they were back in the parking lot, Mabel let out a sigh. "All right, now can we go?" she asked.

"I think we're clear," said Dipper. Dipper opened the driver side door, and Mabel walked over to the passenger side. She opened the door, and tossed the Three book in. Dipper turned towards Wendy. She was facing away from Dipper, looking towards the rest of town. "Come on Wendy," Dipper said. Wendy didn't move. "Did you hear me?" Dipper walked towards Wendy. He put a hand on her shoulder. "What's up?" he asked. Wendy pointed a shaky finger towards a nearby street light. Dipper looked, and gasped. There was something standing in the glow of a nearby street light.

"What's going on?" asked Mabel. She walked towards the other two. She followed their gazes, and froze. She saw the figure as well. "Oh God," she whispered. The figure moved fully into the light. The group let out a sigh of relief. It was just a man. He was tall, dressed in all black, and had long black hair. He was looking towards the ground, obscuring his facial features.

"Just a guy," said Dipper. "False alarm." The man slowly raised his head. Its eyes were dark red. Not red like having allergies, or being drugged. They were red like they were filled with blood.

"Let's get out of here," said Mabel.

"Right," said Wendy. As the group backed up, the man gave Wendy a strange look. He pulled his hands out of his pockets. Dipper noticed that his nails were incredibly long. He pointed at Wendy. Wendy seemed to become stiff like a board. He turned his finger, and wagged it. It was a, 'come here' gesture. Wendy moved towards the man. She walked jerkily, as if being dragged. "Wendy?" Dipper pulled at her shirt. "What the hell are you doing?" Wendy didn't answer. Dipper grabbed her arm, and tried to pull her back. He just couldn't do it. It was if Wendy was being pulled into a black hole. No matter how hard Dipper pulled, Wendy kept getting closer to the figure.

"Dipper! What's going on?" asked Mabel.

"Help me!" Dipper screamed. Mabel ran to Wendy, and grabbed her other arm. The two tried to pull her back, but she got closer and closer to the figure. They were only a few arm lengths away now. Dipper took another look at the figure. It was staring right into Wendy's eyes. It opened its mouth, and smiled. Dipper screamed. Its canine teeth were massive. They protruded over its bottom lip. "It's a vampire!" said Dipper. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out the wooden stake. The vampire broke eye contact with Wendy, and stared into Dippers eyes. A voice, louder than any he had ever heard in his life, filled his head.

"DROP IT!" the voice commanded. Dipper froze in place, and dropped the stake. "SIT!" the voice demanded. Dipper sat down. He had no control over his body. He couldn't think for himself anymore. The vampire had him in its grasp.

"Dipper!" Mabel tried to pull her brother up, but he refused. He sat dazed, drool pooling out of his mouth. Wendy was almost in the creatures grasp. Mabel stiffened her resolve. She bent down and picked up the stake Dipper had dropped. "Leave her alone, you son of a bitch!" Mabel screamed. She launched herself towards the thing. It turned to face her. She closed her eyes, and threw out her arm as hard as she could. She missed the thing completely, lost her balance, and collapsed on the pavement. Her knee tore open, and she groaned in pain. She opened her eyes, and turned to look at the vampire. She avoided its gaze, and stood back up. It had left Dipper and Wendy, and was now focused on Mabel. Her brother and friend sat and stood in place, unmoving. The vampire's gaze was locked on Mabel's knee. She was bleeding badly.

"Mine," it whispered. It moved towards her, its arms outstretched. Mabel felt its nails scrape her cheeks. It gripped her face, and pulled it towards its own. "Look," it whispered. Mabel wanted to close her eyes, but a force was stopping her. She could smell its rancid breath. It was like long dead roadkill. Her eyes locked on his, and Mabel began to lose control. Mabel stopped moving, and dropped the stake. It opened its mouth, and bent towards her neck. Mabel felt the tip of its teeth touch her neck. They felt like hypodermic needles. She waited for the pain, but it never came. It had stopped. The hands dropped away from her face, and the thing collapsed. A long, pointy stick had been shoved through its chest. Dipper stood over it, breathing heavily.

"You killed it," Mabel said. Dipper nodded.

"It got so focused on you, it forgot about us," he said. He looked around. "We have to get out of here," said Dipper.

"Roger that," said Mabel. The two walked towards the car. Wendy followed them, shivering.

"I feel violated," Wendy said. "It's like it touched my brain."

"I know," said Dipper. "But it's over now.

"Maybe not," whispered Mabel. Dipper looked where she was looking. There was another figure. Wendy gasped. Dipper turned, and saw yet another one.

"We're surrounded," Wendy choked out.

"Get in the car!" Dipper said. He opened the door, screamed, and slammed it. Mabel and Wendy looked in the car. Another figure was in there.

"I left the door open," Mabel said in horror. "When I threw the book in, I left the door open.

"The Diner!" Dipper shouted. The group ran as fast as they could towards the Diner. The figures followed them. Dipper tried the front door, and found it unlocked. The three kids rushed in, and Dipper slammed the door behind them. He locked the door, and stared out. The three figures all pooled in front of the door. The reds of their eyes stood in stark contrast to the darkness of the night. One of figures approached the door. It pushed inward, and the door groaned. It was unnaturally strong, and the door wouldn't be able to hold for long. The group backed away.

"Look for something sharp!" Dipper said. Wendy shined the flashlight around the Diner frantically. The door began to buckle, and the group turned towards the vampires.

"Don't look into their eyes!" said Mabel. The door broke into a hundred pieces, and the vampires moved in. One of them chuckled.

"You all smell good," it whispered. "You smell like fear." It cracked its knuckles. "I like that."

"Screw you!" shouted Dipper. He ran towards the back of the Diner. Mabel and Wendy followed him. The vampires advanced on them, their teeth glinting in the light of Wendy's torch. Dipper found the door to the kitchen, and opened it. He tried to find a light switch, but he couldn't see. "I need light!" he screamed. Wendy fell into the kitchen, and handed Dipper the flashlight. He shined it around, and found the grills. Mabel backed into the kitchen, and the vampires continued to advance. One of them let out a horrible screeching laugh.

"I like them young," it whispered. Another one nodded.

"I hope they scream," it said. "I like it when they scream." Dipper ran towards the grill, and pressed the starter. It clicked a few times, and Dipper groaned.

"Work!" he begged the grill. He pressed it again, and this time the grill roared to life. Dipper turned the dials as high as they would go, and cranked the burners. Flames blasted from the grill, nearly as high as the ceiling. The vampires recoiled, hissing and screeching. Dipper could see the entire kitchen now. He saw a bottle of vodka on a shelf full of cooking sherry, and smiled. He ran towards a nearby sink, and found a rag. The vampires had recovered from the unexpected burst of light. They turned towards the girls. Mabel froze in place.

"They got Mabel!" Wendy shouted. Dipper didn't answer. He picked up the rag, and sprinted towards the bottle of vodka. One of the vampires reached out to grab him. He rolled out of the way, and plucked the bottle of vodka off the shelf. He opened it, and stuffed the rag into the top of the bottle.

"Hey assholes!" Dipper shouted. The vampires turned towards him. He put the rag on the dancing flames, and it lit up. He hurled the bottle at the feet of the vampires. The bottle shattered, and its contents caught alight. The flames ran up the legs of the vampires. They screeched in pain. The flames spread across them like firewood. They were completely immolated in seconds. Dipper and Wendy grabbed Mabel, and ran past the flaming vampires. They peeled out of the diner, and ran towards the car. They stuffed Mabel in the back, and got in. Dipper started it up, and looked towards the Diner. One of the vampires jumped out a window. Most of its face had burnt off, leaving boiling skin and melted bone. It looked at Dipper. Dipper felt himself seize up. The vampires eyes rolled up in its head, and it collapsed into a pile of ashes. Dipper felt himself become free again. He put the car in reverse, and got out of there as fast as he could. As he left, he took one last look at the Diner. The entire place was up in flames. He drove out of the town, and back onto the highway. Mabel was stirring in the back. Wendy was still shivering, her face blank and her eyes wide and unblinking.

"Is it over?" Wendy asked.

"Yes," said Dipper. "We got them." He looked at the clock on the radio. It was only two in the morning, but after that there was no way they were doing any more patrolling. "Can we go back to your place?" Dipper asked Wendy.

"Why?" she said.

"I really don't want to see Soos," said Dipper. "I don't think I can handle it."

"Yeah, I've had enough crazy shit to last me forever," said Wendy. "We can go back to Tambry's." Mabel was sitting up.

"Did that just happen?" Mabel asked. Neither Dipper or Wendy said anything.


	18. Chapter 18

Dipper pulled up to Tambry's house. The group practically fell out of the car. Mabel could barely hold herself up. Her knees shook, and she looked like she would faint.

"Do you need help?" Dipper asked. Mabel shook her head.

"I just want to go to bed," she said.

"Same here," said Wendy. The group walked up to the house, and rang the doorbell. After a few seconds, Tambry answered.

"There you are!" Tambry said to Wendy. "I didn't think you'd be out so late." Tambry took a long glance at the group. "Whoa, you guys look like hell," said Tambry.

"We feel like it," said Wendy.

"What happened?" asked Tambry.

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you," said Wendy. She motioned to Dipper and Mabel, who were both standing next to her. "Mind if these two crash here tonight? Their place is being fumigated." Wendy was surprised at how easily she could lie to Tambry. She owed her so much, and felt so close to her. She felt like she should have some sort of moral dilemma about lying to her best friend. But she just didn't. She chalked it up to being super tired, and still super freaked out.

"No problem, my parents are still out," said Tambry. "One of you can crash in their room, and the other can grab the couch."

"Couch," muttered Mabel. "I just want to sleep." The group walked inside, and Tambry closed the door.

"You locked that, right?" asked Dipper.

"Nah," said Tambry. "Nothing to worry about around here. No troublemakers or anything." As soon as Tambry turned away, Dipper locked the door. The group walked into the living room. It was a typical set up. TV in the center, a couch, and three red chairs. Mabel collapsed face first on the couch, pulling herself into a little ball. The other three all grabbed a chair. "So you two were hanging out again," said Tambry. She shot Dipper and Wendy a devilish grin. Neither of them responded. Tambry's grin faltered, and she frowned. "Jesus, did someone die?" "It's just been a really, really long night," said Wendy. Tambry shrugged.

"It's pretty late anyway," Tambry said. "Dipper, my parents room is upstairs. The first door on your right." Dipper nodded, and got up off the chair. He left towards the stairs, and Wendy followed him. He walked up the first few steps, and heard Wendy come up behind him. Dipper turned around.

"My room is next to yours," Wendy explained.

"Gotcha," said Dipper. The pair went upstairs, and went into their respective rooms. Dipper flipped a light switch. The room was a sharp, garish velvet. A myriad of landscape paintings were hung haphazardly on the walls. There was a chest of drawers, and of course a bed. It was king size. Dipper put his hat on the chest of drawers, and took off his shirt. He noticed a mirror next to the bed. He walked over to it, and took a long look at himself. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. His eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was in a state of total disarray. He had torn up his biceps, and dried blood caked his arm hair. His chest was covered in bruises. A long scratch went from his left shoulder to his stomach. He touched it, and winced. "Gonna hurt like hell tomorrow," Dipper said. He pulled his belt off, took off his shoes, and jumped out of his jeans. He tossed them aside, and collapsed onto the bed. He picked up his shoe, and tossed it at the light switch. It soared to the right, and bounced off the wall. Dipper picked up the other shoe, and took careful aim. As he tossed it, the door opened. The shoe missed Wendy's face by a few inches.

"Woah!" she shouted. "What's with the shoe?"

"I was trying to turn off the light," said Dipper. Wendy took a look at him, and he suddenly became very aware he was just in his boxers. He pulled a blanket off the bed and covered himself up. Wendy giggled.

"No reason to be shy," Wendy said. She came into the room, and closed the door behind her. She flipped the light switch, and the room went dark, illuminated only by moonlight. Wendy walked over to the bed. She was shrouded in darkness, the light only showing part of her body. Dipper's mouth was completely dry. His heart was pounding a beat, and he felt sweat start to form on his palms. He saw Wendy take off her shirt and pants. She slid into bed with him, clad only in her underwear. "No funny stuff," she said.

"No way," Dipper said. "Way too tired and junk." They both pulled the covers over themselves. Dipper felt Wendy snuggle up against him.

"I couldn't sleep alone," Wendy said. "Not after all that. I just wouldn't feel safe."

"Well I'm here," said Dipper. "I got you."

"I know," said Wendy. She turned to face him. "You kicked those vampires asses." Dipper chuckled.

"They never stood a chance," Dipper said. Wendy leaned close to him, and the two kissed. Wendy pulled away.

"Do we really have to do this every night?" Wendy asked. Dipper nodded.

"I know it sucks," Dipper said. "But think of it this way. If we hadn't been there, imagine what those vampires might have done to people tonight. We knew how to fight them, and we almost got destroyed. Imagine if they ran into some random guy who had no idea what to do."

"I guess," said Wendy. "But I don't know if I can do this every night."

"Me either," said Dipper. "We're going to need more help."

"Who else can we convince?" asked Wendy. "I know if I told Tambry, she'd think I was crazy."

"I don't know," said Dipper. "We'll have to be careful about who we talk to. But we have to get more help. We just have to."

"Yeah," said Wendy. She ran a finger down Dipper's chest. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"Just some bruises and scrapes," Dipper said. "How about you?"

"Same," Wendy said. Dipper felt her shake. "Although my head still feels kind of funny. It was terrible when they were in there. I've never had somebody, or something else in my head. It really sucks."

"It does," said Dipper. "But it's over now."

"Thank God," said Wendy. She scooted closer to Dipper. "You sure you don't mind just sleeping tonight?"

"It's no problem," said Dipper.

"You will be handsomely rewarded for this later," said Wendy. The two kissed again, and Wendy rolled over. Dipper put his arms around her, and felt Wendy fall asleep in his arms. He closed his eyes, but sleep didn't come. He didn't think he would sleep at all tonight. He was too worried. He knew that battling evil would be tough, but he had no idea it would be like that. His every muscle was still tense, and his mind was still racing. It was like he had drunk a cup of pure caffeine. Wendy gasped in her sleep, and Dipper pulled her closer. Dipper could hear her whimpering, and he felt terrible. This was his fault. He could have just left her alone. Could have kept her out of this. But he had been selfish. He didn't want to lose her, and so he had pulled her into this hell.

"I don't deserve you," Dipper said. Across town, Pacifica sat in her room. Her eyes were glowing green. She could see and hear everything Dipper did. She snarled.

"No you don't," Pacifica growled. "You don't deserve her. You don't deserve anyone." Her eyes changed from green to red. "But that's okay. Take comfort for now, Dipper. We'll take her from you soon enough." She turned to her left. Gideon sat next to her.

"We'll take everything from him," said Gideon. "He'll beg us to kill him." Another figure was next to Gideon. It was Robbie.

"As long as I get the girl," Robbie said.

"I don't care about the girl," said Gideon. "Once I have Dipper, you can do whatever you want with Mabel." Robbie cracked his knuckles.

"Is the Master aware they killed the vampires?" Pacifica asked.

"Yes," Gideon said. "It is inconsequential. The Master's minions are infinite. If they kill one, more will come."

"Good," said Pacifica. "We need them weak for our plan to work."

"They'll be more than weak," said Gideon. "Don't worry Pacifica. Our Master has everything under control."

"Praise the Master," said Pacifica.

"Praise him indeed," said Gideon.


	19. Chapter 19

Dipper groaned, and stretched. He looked at his watch. It was eleven in the morning. He had finally managed to catch a few winks towards the end of the night. He sat up, and looked next to him. Wendy was still asleep, a little puddle of drool collecting on her pillow. Dipper laughed, and Wendy's eyes flickered open.

"Wassup?" Wendy asked sleepily.

"Nothing really," Dipper asked. "Just staring at you."

"That's not creepy," said Wendy. She sat up, the blanket falling off of her. She stretched, and Dipper continued to stare. "Eyes up here buddy," said Wendy. Dipper blushed, and turned away. "I'm just fooling with ya," said Wendy. "How'd you sleep?"

"Not so well," said Dipper. "I'm a little stiff." Wendy laughed, and Dipper blushed harder. "My neck! My neck is a little stiff."

"Turn around," said Wendy. Dipper faced away from Wendy, and he felt her put his hands on his shoulders. She started rubbing his shoulders, and moved to his neck. Dipper shivered with pleasure.

"That feels really good," said Dipper.

"I took a massage therapy class in college," said Wendy. Dipper groaned.

"I bet you got an A," Dipper said.

"You know me, straight A student," said Wendy. He leaned over his shoulder, and the two kissed. She put his arms around his chest. "So last night, I mentioned something about a reward." Dipper felt his heart rate quicken. "Want to collect on it?"

"Uh huh," Dipper squeaked. They started to kiss again. Dipper turned to Wendy, and they embraced each other.

"Oh God!" groaned Mabel. Both Dipper and Wendy jumped in the air. Mabel was standing in the doorway, her hands covering her eyes. "Oh, that is about the nastiest thing I've ever seen," she said.

"What the hell Mabel!" shouted Dipper.

"What!?" Mabel shouted back. "I didn't know you and Wendy were going to be... doing that!"

"Well knock next time!" Dipper roared. Tambry heard the commotion, and started up the stairs.

"What the hell is going on?" Tambry asked. She got upstairs, and looked into her parents room. She saw Dipper, and made eye contact with Wendy. "I freaking knew it!" Tambry shouted.

"All right, show's over," said Wendy. She walked to the door, and closed it. She sighed, and walked back over to the bed. "Maybe we should do this later," she said.

"Yes please," said Dipper. The two clothed themselves in silence, and walked downstairs. Tambry was on her phone, while Mabel was sitting on the couch.

"I'm going to go insane," said Mabel. "First Soos, then vampires, then this."

"Knock if off," said Dipper.

"Sorry," said Mabel. "I'm feeling a little crappy."

"We all are," said Wendy. Mabel smiled up at her.

"But I am happy for you two," Mabel said.

"Thanks," said Wendy. She gave Dipper a kiss on the cheek, and Dipper smiled.

"So what's the plan?" Mabel asked Dipper.

"Well, we need to make a list of people we can talk to," said Dipper.

"About what?" asked Tambry. Dipper and Wendy shared an uncomfortable glance.

"I don't think you'd really get it," said Wendy.

"Oh come on, you can tell me anything," said Tambry.

"Trust me, you're better off not knowing," said Dipper. Tambry put her hands on her hips.

"Oh come on," Tambry said. "What, are you worried I'm gonna blab about it?" Tambry raised her hands out in front of her. "I don't do that anymore. No more blabbermouth Tambry." Wendy felt her phone ring, and flipped it open. It was a text from one of her old friends. 'Nice, hear you got a knew bf,' it said. Wendy held her phone out in front of her.

"Really?" asked Wendy. "Cause this looks pretty blabbermouthy to me."

"Oh come on, I had to tell somebody," said Tambry. Mabel, Dipper, and Wendy all shot her a dirty look, and she sighed. "All right, my bad." She went into the kitchen, and started making breakfast.

"Why don't we go back to the shack?" said Dipper. "We can talk there. I want to check on Soos anyway."

"Good idea," said Wendy. "I'd like to see Stan anyway. It's been a while since I've talked to the old codger."

"Yeah," sighed Mabel. "We haven't seen much of him so far. It seems like he's busy all the time. Plus, we have all this junk going on."

"We'll spend some time with him," Dipper said.

"You promise?" asked Mabel.

"Cross my heart," said Dipper. Wendy gasped.

"Uh, guys?" She rolled her thumbs nervously. "So, I was just thinking. We locked Soos in the display case, right?"

"Of course," said Dipper.

"Right. And we didn't give him a key, did we?" asked Wendy.

"No way!" said Mabel. "Why would we give him a..." she trailed off, and a look of horror crossed her face.

"Oh shit!" Dipper shouted. The group ran out the door. Tambry walked into the living room, and was shocked to find it empty.

"Wonder what their hurry was," Tambry muttered. She shrugged, and called one of her friends. The friend picked up, and Tambry giggled. "Oh. My. God. You will never guess who Wendy Corduroy is seeing right now."


	20. Chapter 20

Dipper threw the door open, and ran into the house. He peeled through the living room, nearly kicking a sleeping waddles. He got to the display case, and found it empty.

"Hey dude," said Soos. Dipper turned around. Soos was standing in a nearby doorway.

"Oh man, I am so sorry," said Dipper. "I don't know why I didn't give you a key. It's just yesterday was so hectic and junk, and I guess my head got all messed up. I just have all this crap to deal with, and the whole not leaving you trapped in the display case thing slipped my mind."

"It's okay," said Soos. "Robbie came by early this morning, and he left me out. I just made up some story about cleaning it from the inside and locking myself in it."

"Well I'm glad you got out," said Dipper.

"So am I," said Soos. "It would have sucked if I was in there all day. I'm thin now, but I still need to eat." Soos looked behind Dipper. "Where's Mabel?"

"She's talking with Wendy," Dipper said. Soos noticed that Dipper was staring at the floor, and biting his bottom lip. Soos walked over to him, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey buddy, don't be so down," said Soos. "It was an honest mistake." Dipper looked into Soos's eyes, and felt waves of emotion wash over him. He turned way from Soos, and began to walk out of the room. Soos walked with him, and Dipper sped up. Dipper felt Soos's hand on his shoulder again. Dipper slapped it off. He turned towards Soos. His eyes were blazing, and his teeth were gritted.

"Why can't you just be angry at me!?" Dipper screamed. Soos backed up a pace.

"You want me to be angry at you?" Soos asked.

"Yes!" shouted Dipper. "Just scream at me or something!" Soos shook his head.

"No way dude," Soos said. "I wouldn't do that. You're a good friend, and I'd never want to hurt you."

"No I'm not!" Dipper put his hands on his head. He grabbed a bunch of his hair in each hand, and started squeezing. "I'm a terrible friend. I left you here all night, and didn't come to visit you to make sure you were okay. I locked you in there without a way out. And I can't find a cure for you." Dipper shook his head, and tightened his grip on his hair. "I'm a horrible friend."

"No you're not," said Soos. "Most people would have tried to hurt me if they found out I was a werewolf. But you've been helping me. You're a good person."

"I'm not," Dipper whispered. "I'm not a good person." Soos pulled Dipper into a hug. Dipper tried to pull away, but Soos had a strong grip.

"Just calm down for a second," said Soos.

"Don't tell me to calm down," said Dipper. "You're not my father."

"No I'm not," said Soos. "But I love you like family." Dipper stopped struggling. "You've been gone for five years dude. Five years. I was afraid I would forget about you or something. I tend to do that, you know?" Soos let go of Dipper, and backed up a pace. "But the second you walked through that door, it was like some part of me that had been missing came back. I don't have any brothers or sisters, and my parents never really gave a damn about me. You, Mabel, and Stan were the only people who really seemed to care about me. When you and Mabel left, I was so heartbroken." Soos took of his hat, and held it against his chest. "I finally had a little brother and sister, and someone came and took them away from me. It was horrible. I wanted to call, but I was afraid you'd have forgotten about me. But these past five years have been pretty lonely. You were only here for a few months, but I remember every second I spent with you and your sister. Sometimes I'd look in a corner, and see you and her fighting or something. Or sometimes I'd go to the couch, and see you and her watching TV. Sort of like memories, but somehow more real. But then that'd fade away, and I'd have to deal with the fact that you and her were gone." Tears started to drip down Soos's cheeks. "But you guys didn't forget about me. You knew who I was when you came back. And you talked to me like we were old friends. I was so worried you'd just blow me off or something. That to you, I was just the other guy who worked in the shop. But you cared. You helped me when you found out about my problem." Soos squeezed his hat harder. "I'd never yell at you Dipper. You mean more to me then I could ever say."

"Of course I wouldn't forget about you," said Dipper. He was crying himself. "But I had no idea you felt that way. I thought to you we were just some little kids that hung around the shop." Dipper walked over to Soos, and put his arms around him. "You're like a brother to me as well. Sometimes it's tough with just me and Mabel. We got left alone so often, it got so bad sometimes. And I'd think about you. I'd think about how much better things would be if you just walked in the door. About all the times we hung out. All the times you gave me advice. All the fun we had."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," said Soos.

"You were," said Dipper. "In a way you were." They stood there for a second, each overwhelmed with emotion. They finally released each other, and Dipper sighed. "Sorry I was such a dick. I just have a lot going on."

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Soos. Dipper nodded.

"Yeah," said Dipper. "I think that would help." The two walked over to the couch, and sat down on it.

"I guess you're feeling pretty upset," said Soos.

"I am," said Dipper. "I just feel like it's all so unfair. I'm just a regular kid." Dipper's shoulders sunk. "I'm not special in any way. I'm just a normal, average, every day guy. But now I have all this responsibility. Not just for me, but for my sister. And now for Wendy, who I drug into this." Dipper shook his head. "I just want to know, why me? What did I do to deserve all this? I think I'm a good guy. I've done some bad things, sure, but who hasn't? I feel like I'm being punished for a crime I didn't commit." Dipper looked out a window, eyeing Mabel and Wendy. They were sitting next to the car, eating sandwiches and talking. "I guess I am a jerk for dragging Wendy into this. I was just afraid I wouldn't see her anymore."

"You really like her, huh?" Soos asked. Dipper nodded.

"It's funny," said Dipper. "I've dated girls for months, and never felt a damn thing for them. And I've been hanging out with Wendy for a couple of days, and I'm head over heels. I guess I never believed in the whole love at first sight thing. But that's what this is for sure."

"Well, people never plan to fall in love," said Soos.

"It's weird," said Dipper. "It's awesome, but terrifying all at once. I feel like if she ever rejected me, I might die."

"Being in love is dangerous for sure," said Soos. "Nothing worse than being told that someone doesn't love you back. But the rewards if it works out are so worth it."

"You'd know better than me," said Dipper.

"I'm not so sure," said Soos. "If I remember correctly, you were pretty in love with her when you were twelve."

"That doesn't count," said Dipper. "That's kid love."

"I think that counts for a lot," said Soos."You don't really know how to love at that age, so you just do it with your entire being. No one ever forgets their first crush, because they felt that love so intensely. It must have been harder for you, because she actually reciprocated it. If she had just said no, you could have moved on. But she actually did something with it. And then you had to leave. It must have hurt."

"It did," said Dipper. "I told her I got over it, but I'm not sure I really have. Sometimes I look at her, and I feel angry. Just for no reason. And it scares me, because I don't want to feel like that towards someone. Especially someone I care about."

"You can't help it," said Soos. "It's just how you feel."

"I guess," said Dipper. He looked at Soos. "Do you think me and her are a mistake." Soos shrugged.

"I honestly don't know," said Soos. "But I do know that right now, you have an incredibly difficult task ahead of you. That right now, everything seems horrible. But you have her. And I bet when you're with her, you feel awesome. I bet that when you hold her, everything else kind of melts away. Right?"

"Yeah," said Dipper.

"So keep holding onto her," said Soos. "Because you need something. You're not going to be able to handle this fight without some sort of release," said Soos.

"But isn't that kind of using her?" asked Dipper.

"Only if you don't actually feel something for her," said Soos. "And you've made it pretty clear you're head over heels." Dipper smiled.

"I really haven't felt like this with anyone but her," Dipper said. "More and more lately I've been feeling like a kid. Likes some scared kid, alone in a dark room. But when I'm with her, I feel like a man. I don't think I've ever felt like that before."

"Just be careful," said Soos. "Wendy is a really good girl. But sometimes good people can do bad things when it comes to love. A lot of times they don't mean it, but they do it anyway."

"I'll be careful," said Dipper.

"Good," said Soos.

"I should go out and talk to the girls," said Dipper. "We have a lot to do today. We're talking to Grenda, Robbie, and Old Man McGucket."

"Old Man McGucket?" said Soos.

"He may be crazy, but he knows a hell of a lot about the town," said Dipper. "Plus he might actually believe us when we tell him that the town is being overrun by monsters."

"He thought he was a hot dog for a while, so I think you've got a good shot," said Soos.

"Hey Soos?" asked Dipper.

"Yeah?" said Soos.

"Thanks for talking to me," Dipper said. "I really needed this." Soos smiled.

"Any time little brother," said Soos.


	21. Chapter 21

"So who's the first on the list?" asked Mabel. She and Wendy had finished eating, and the group was sitting next to the car. Dipper had a notebook open, and he was thumbing through it. He would occasionally write something down, or erase something.

"Old Man McGucket," said Dipper. "I think he'll be the easiest to convince."

"Agreed," said Wendy. "Last week he thought he was a toaster. I don't think it'll be difficult to persuade him to help us."

"Toaster?" asked Dipper. "Soos said he thought he was a hot dog."

"Does it matter what kind of meat he thought he was?" asked Mabel.

"Fair point," said Dipper. "Soos told me he hangs around the dock most of the time."

"Yeah, he lives with his son," said Wendy. "His son tries to keep him out of trouble, but it seems like McGucket gets out anyway."

"But it's harmless trouble," said Mabel. "I don't think he's ever tried to hurt anybody."

"That's true," said Wendy. "But if my Dad was running around screaming he was a toaster, I might be a little embarrassed."

"All right!" Dipper shouted. He slammed his notebook shut, and turned to the girls. "Let's do this! To the docks!" The girls giggled.

"Look at Dipper trying to be all manly," said Mabel.

"I know! It's adorable," said Wendy. She pinched Dipper's cheek, and the two girls laughed uncontrollably. Dipper frowned.

"Last time I try to hype you guys up," Dipper muttered. He got in the car, and the girls piled in with him. He started the car, and got onto the highway. He felt something come over him, and without thinking he switched on the radio. It blared to life, and a tinny voice began speaking.

" ... there are no suspects at this time, but evidence points to arson. In other news, long time resident Arthur McGucket was reported missing by his son. According to local authorities, McGucket left on a boat yesterday afternoon. His son said he was headed towards the caves at the end of the bay. Local authorities have searched, but have been unable to find the vessel." The voice stopped, and was replaced by a hissing noise. The hissing slowly turned into a horrible, gurgling laugh. Dipper slammed the radio off.

"Shit!" he shouted.

"We have to find him," said Mabel.

"Absolutely," said Dipper.

"Let's hold up here," said Wendy. "Is it our responsibility to save him? The caves are super dangerous, even when the town isn't infested with monsters. Maybe we should just chalk this one up to the bad guys. There's some other people on the list, maybe we could-"

"No way," said Dipper. "I wouldn't feel right just leaving him in the caves to rot. It's just not right." Mabel nodded.

"Besides, he's part of this town," Mabel said. "If we don't save him, it's like letting part of Gravity Falls die." Wendy sighed, and sank back into her seat.

"You two are really good people," Wendy said. Mabel and Dipper both smiled. Dipper got off the highway, and turned into the town proper. He sped towards the docks, and slowed down only when he saw flashing blue and red lights. He pulled up, and parked next to the police car. They got out, and walked to the cabin in front of the docks. Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland were deep in conversation. They noticed the kids, and Blubs put a hand out in front of him.

"Sorry kids, official police business here," Blubs said.

"We just want to get a boat," said Dipper.

"Didn't you hear the Sheriff?" asked Durland. "Dock's closed. Go somewhere else you hooligans." Dipper was about to protest, but he felt a hand on his shoulder. Wendy shook her head, and Dipper dropped it. The group walked back to the car, Dipper cursing under his breath.

"Damn police," he growled. "Now what are we gonna do?"

"Take the back way," said Wendy.

"Back way?" asked Mabel.

"Yeah," said Wendy. "Me and my Dad used it when the docks would get really crowded. It's near the town pool. There's a little path, and it leads into a clearing. Our boat is probably still there."

"Why don't you call your dad and make sure it's there," said Dipper. "We really need this boat." Wendy bit her bottom lip, and shook her head.

"Me and him aren't talking," Wendy said.

"Oh," said Dipper. "I didn't realize."

"It's alright," said Wendy. They pulled into the pool, and parked. The pool was full of so many bodies it was hard to see any water.

"Do you remember the pool being that crowded?" Dipper asked.

"The town's grown since you guys left," said Wendy. "The new apartment complex brought a lot of people." Mabel looked like she smelled something nasty.

"You okay?" asked Dipper.

"That pool just reminds me of Mermando," said Mabel. Dipper thought for a second, then the memory came rushing towards him.

"Oh my God, that mermaid kid!" said Dipper. "You kissed him!"

"No, he kissed me," said Mabel. She smiled, and poked Dipper. "And if I remember correctly, so did you." Wendy gave Dipper a withering look.

"It was mouth to mouth!" Dipper explained. Mabel laughed, and Wendy rolled her eyes. The group walked past the pool, and found the path Wendy mentioned. It led into the forest. Dipper was on his toes, keeping an eye out for anything unusual. He held the three book in his left hand, clutching it with a death grip. There was a rustle, and the group turned. They noticed a hunched figure. It was tall and muscular, and had long blond hair. It looked at them, and scampered off.

"What the hell was that?" asked Wendy.

"I think it was a member of a boy band," said Mabel. Wendy tilted her head in confusion. "I'll explain it to you later." The group continued on until the trail tapered off into the clearing. The clearing led into a river. A small but sturdy looking boat was chained to a post. It bobbed up and down with the current.

"Glad it's here," said Wendy. "I was worried Dad might have done something with it." Dipper got on first, and helped Mabel up. He grabbed Wendy by the hand. She curled her fingers around his. They shared a grin, and Dipper pulled her up as well.

"You know how to drive this thing, right?" Dipper asked.

"Of course I do," said Wendy. The two stood there in silence. Mabel cleared her throat.

"No rush or anything, but we're kind of in a rush," Mabel said. The two lovers snapped back to attention. Dipper gave Wendy's hand a squeeze, and let her go. Wendy released the line holding the boat to the post. She found a key tucked in a drawer, and started the boat up. It moved forward slowly but steadily.

"This river should lead us right to the caves," said Wendy.

"Good," said Dipper. "Have your flashlight ready Mabel."

"Aye-aye chief," Mabel said. The boat puttered along, and Dipper flipped through the three book. He found a page of interest, and beckoned Mabel over.

"What does this look like to you?" said Dipper. Mabel looked at the page, running her finger along the lines of text.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it was a spell," said Mabel. Dipper nodded.

"Sure looks like it. And we highlighted a bunch of passages," said Dipper. "I think we used it."

"What spell is it?" asked Mabel. Dipper pointed to the top of the page.

"An inside out spell," said Dipper. "It matches someone's outer appearance with their inner appearance."

"That's interesting," said Mabel.

"Can you remember using it?" asked Dipper. Mabel closed her eyes, and tapped her chin with her finger.

"I think I do," said Mabel. "But I can't remember why. Or who we used it on."

"Maybe it was Gideon," said Dipper. "He's not looking so hot these days."

"I don't think that has anything to do with magic," Wendy said. "He had a legion of fans at his beck and call that suddenly started hating him. I don't think anyone could get out of that situation without looking worse for wear."

"Fair point," said Dipper. "This memory loss thing sucks. It's so random. Out of nowhere I'll remember something for literally no reason. But I can't remember any of the important stuff," said Dipper. "Like how did we stop the monsters the first time around? I don't have the faintest clue."

"I wonder why we lost our memory," said Mabel. "Have we even though about that? It's not normal."

"Nothing about this town is normal," said Wendy. "It's probably just Gravity Falls-itis."

"Are those the caves?" asked Dipper. Wendy nodded. Mabel got her flashlight ready, and Dipper held the book to his chest. As they approached them, Dipper gasped.

"Oh Good God," he whispered. "The Gobblewonker." Mabel yelped.

"That's just a myth," said Wendy.

"So were werewolves and vampires," said Dipper. All the color left Wendy's face.

"Oh no," Wendy groaned.

"Turn back," said Mabel. "We gotta turn back now."

"We can't!" said Dipper. "We gotta help McGucket!"

"But we don't stand a chance against that thing!" said Mabel.

"Maybe it won't care about us," said Dipper. "Maybe it doesn't eat people."

"What are the chances of that?" asked Wendy.

"Slim to none," Dipper said. They approached the mouth of the cave. As they entered, they all imagined being swallowed alive by the Gobblewonker. Mabel flipped on her flashlight, and illuminated the caves. The walls were quite wide, so there was no chance of crashing the boat. There was an occasional sandbar, and Wendy carefully steered around them. "Keep your eyes peeled," Dipper instructed. "The sooner we find McGucket, the sooner we're out of here."

"If he wasn't eaten already," said Mabel. She was shaking, and her teeth were clattering.

"Calm down," said Dipper. "Don't panic. We need clear heads, and-"

"What the hell is that!?" Wendy screeched. There was a massive shadow in the water ahead. It seemed to take up the rest of the cave, which stretched beyond their vision.

"Put the boat in reverse," said Dipper. "Go slow. Try not to startle it." Wendy did so, and the boat slowly began to drift backwards. The whole group was silent, refusing to move. They backed up a few feet, and the shadow began to shift. A head slowly slithered out of the water. Two massive eyes glowed lighthouse beacons. Fangs longer than Dipper was tall dripped. A pungent smell of sewage and seawater filled the cave.

"Go faster," urged Mabel. "Must go faster."


	22. Chapter 22

"DIPPER!" The scream echoed through the cave, invading Dipper's ears and mind. In one second, everything had gone straight to hell. It had flipped the boat over, and tossed the three into the river. The flashlight had fallen underwater, and it was pitch black. Dipper was colder than he had ever ben in his life. He felt like his blood was frozen, unmoving. Every time he tried to breathe, seawater would fill his mouth. He reached out, desperately trying to grab something. He felt something rough and scaly. He jerked his hand away, and thrashed in the opposite direction. He put out his arms out like a blind man.

"HELP ME!" The scream was louder, full of panic. "HELP ME PLEASE!" Dipper opened his mouth to call out, but the water rushed in. He swallowed it, and felt it hit his stomach. He clenched his teeth, and did his best not to throw up. His hands touched something else. It was flesh. He pulled the person closer to him, and embraced them. He couldn't tell if it was Mabel or Wendy. Whoever it was weighed him down. It got harder to kick, harder to keep himself afloat. He swallowed another mouthful of water. It went down his esophagus, and he hacked violently. His strength was starting to leave him. He knew he was sinking, but he didn't let go of the girl.

'This is how it ends,' he thought to himself. 'Didn't expect it to go down like this. I thought we'd put up more of a fight. But we were stupid, going in blindly like this. Hopefully someone else will step up to protect the town.' He felt his eyes start to flutter. His water-filled breaths came less frequent. He felt his lips dip into the water. His nose followed, and his eyes stung as they were enveloped. His hat floated off his head. 'I'm okay with this,' he thought. 'I died helping the town. I died doing something that's right.' He felt his heart begin to clench. 'I just wish I hadn't dragged Wendy into it. And I wish I could have protected Mabel. Some brother I was.' The noises of the surf began to fade. It was replaced by utter silence. His mind quieted, and darkness enveloped him. He didn't feel the girl he was holding stir. He didn't feel her pull him up, and swim over to a nearby sand bank. He didn't feel her roll him over. He didn't hear her scream his name over and over again. He didn't feel her pound his chest, didn't feel her lips envelop his own as she breathed into his lungs. He didn't hear the girls sobs wrack the cave, and didn't feel her hand clench his own. He didn't feel anything.

"Please come back," Wendy whispered. "You can't do this, Dipper. You can't. I won't let you." Wendy looked around, her eyes having adjusted somewhat to the dark. She saw a crumpled figure floating near the edge of the sandbank. She ran to it, and pulled it onto the sure. The figure spluttered, gasped, and took a long breath.

"Help me!" Mabel screamed. "Someone help!"

"It's okay," said Wendy. "You're out of the water." Mabel felt around. She touched the sand, and let it fall through her fingers.

"Where's the Gobblewonker?" asked Mabel.

"I don't know," said Wendy. "I don't see its eyes. I think it's gone."

"That one was real," said Mabel. "The last time we came here, it was fake. It was some kind of machine. But that one was real." Mabel looked around. She squinted her eyes, trying to see anything in the dark. "Where's Dipper?" she asked.

"Up here," Wendy whispered. Mabel scrambled to the top of the bank, and found her brother. She felt his shirt, and went up his chest. She touched his hairy cheek, and caressed his forehead.

"You okay Dipper?" Mabel asked. There was quiet. "Dipper?" Mabel turned to look at Wendy. She was lost in the dark. "What's wrong with him?!" Mabel asked. Wendy began to sob. Mabel felt all the feeling leave her body. She had never been completely numb before. It was a strange feeling. Almost like looking at yourself from outside your body. "It's not funny anymore," Mabel said. "It's not funny Dipper. Wake up," she urged. Wendy continued to sob, and Dipper didn't stir. "Wake up dammit!" Mabel shouted. Dipper laid still. Mabel slapped him across the face, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. "STOP IT!" Mabel roared. He still didn't move. The realization overtook Mabel, and she collapsed. Sadness filled the entirety of her being. The impossible had happened. Her brother had died. Her life long best friend. She had spent more time with him then she had spent with anyone else. They had done everything together. They laughed together, cried together. Lifted each other up when they were feeling down, and knocked each other down a peg when they were being jerks. They were almost one person. But not anymore. Now, Mabel was all alone. She knew she was crying, but she couldn't feel it. She couldn't feel anything anymore. She wasn't even a person. She was a shell.

"We have to get out of here," said Wendy.

"Why?" asked Mabel.

"We have to try," said Wendy.

"No point," said Mabel. "There's just no point."

"He'd want us to try," said Wendy. The sadness left Mabel all at once. It was replaced by blinding, white-hot rage. She stood up, and turned towards Wendy's voice.

"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW!?" shouted Mabel. "YOU THINK YOU KNOW HIM SO WELL? JUST BECAUSE YOU WERE FUCKING HIM!" Mabel stomped her foot like a child having a tantrum. "HE WAS MY BROTHER! HE WAS MY BEST FRIEND! HE... he..." Mabel fell to her knees, the sadness coming back in waves. "He's gone. How do you know what he'd want? He can't tell us."

"Maybe he can," said Wendy. Mabel felt Wendy put something in her hands. It was the three book. Mabel was stunned. It had been fully submerged in the water, but its pages were still dry. "He wrote in this all the time," said Wendy. "Maybe something he wrote here can help."

"I can't read it," said Mabel. "It's too dark." Wendy reached into her pocket, and pulled out her cell phone. She pressed a button, and light filled the cavern.

"I put it in a waterproof case before we left," said Wendy. "I'll set it to flashlight mode." As Wendy fooled with her phone, Mabel slowly turned towards Dipper. His mouth was hanging open, and his eyelids were half closed. An explosive sob came out of Mabel, harsh and uncompromising in its power. She turned her head, unable to look at him anymore. Wendy handed the phone to Mabel, and crawled over to Dipper. She gently closed his mouth, and pulled his eyelids shut. She kissed his cheek, and brushed his hair out of his face.

"You really cared about him," said Mabel. It wasn't a question. She was just stating a fact.

"Yeah," said Wendy. "It's funny. We hadn't seen each other in years, and we were on such terrible terms when he left as a kid. But I saw him again, it was like all that never happened. It was like I had known him my whole life. I can't explain it. I've never felt anything like it." Wendy let out a shaky sigh. "I loved him. No two ways about it, I just loved him."

"You're right, you know," said Mabel. "He would want us to get out of here. I know him. He'd never give up. As long as there was someone to save, he'd try to get out alive."

"I thought so," said Wendy. "He was a hero."

"He never got to grow up," said Mabel. She felt her lip begin to quiver, and her voice begin to waver. "He was only seventeen. He wasn't even a man yet."

"Yes he was," said Wendy. "It takes a man to do the things he did. It takes a man to stare danger in the face, and laugh at it. It takes a man to put himself aside, to forget about his own needs. All he did was help others. He could have left the town, could have abandoned us all. But he never even thought about doing that. The only thing he ever thought about was how to save people. He wasn't just a man, Mabel," said Wendy. "He was a hero." Mabel smiled, and nodded.

"Yes he was," said Mabel. "And now we have to be heroes as well. We have to get out of here." Mabel looked down at the three book. She opened it. "Let's take a look," Mabel said. She flipped through the book, carefully looking at each page. She payed special attention to Dipper's handwriting. It was scratchy, barely legible. A typical twelve year olds scribbles. Sometimes it wasn't even advice. She found herself giggling at a dirty limerick he had written. She felt her heart dip when she read a love poem he had written for Wendy. And she smiled when she saw a doodle he had done of her and Waddles. She flipped to the back of the book. On the second to last page, Dipper had scribbled something in large, red letters. 'Use Only In Dire Emergency!' he had written. She took a look at the last page. Mabel gasped, and read it again.

"What is it?" asked Wendy.

"It could be a solution," said Mabel.

"What do you mean?" asked Wendy.

"It's a spell," said Mabel. "A powerful one."

"A spell?" asked Wendy. "Like magic? Like Harry Potter and all that jazz?" Mabel rolled her eyes.

"We've seen vampires, werwolves, and a giant man-eating eel thing," said Mabel. "Is magic really that far of a stretch?"

"Good point," said Wendy.

"The spell's called The Reversal Of Fortune," said Mabel. "It's powerful, but extremely dangerous."

"Dangerous?" asked Wendy.

"Yeah," said Mabel. She read the last line for the third time, and gulped. "Like, end of the world as we know it dangerous."

"What!?" gasped Wendy.

"It doesn't matter," said Mabel. "We have to try. We don't have any other choice."

"But-"

"No buts!" shouted Mabel. "If this works, we get another chance."

"Another chance at what?" asked Wendy. Mabel closed her eyes, and began to chant. Her strange chanting filled the cave. It wasn't english, or any other language that Wendy had ever heard. It didn't sound human. It sounded like a noise an angel or a demon might make. Deep, but light at the same time. An impossible noise. The book began to vibrate, and glow. Its pages turned of their own accord, and the wind in the cave began to blow harder. The cave started to fill with light. At first Wendy thought it was the book. But she soon realized that the light was concentrated on them. She turned slowly, and saw it. Its beacon eyes shined on them. It was only a few feet away from them. The Gobblewonker opened its mouth, and Wendy saw its massive teeth."Mabel!" Wendy shouted. Mabel continued to chant, and the beast got closer. The Gobblewonker roared, and pulled its entire weight out of the water. Wendy was stunned at how massive it was. It came crashing down on her. Wendy screamed, and covered her face. But the blow never came. Wendy slowly opened her eyes. She was in a bed. She sat up, and looked around. And then she remembered.

"You okay?" a voice asked. She turned, and saw Dipper. She embraced him in a bone crushing hug. "Woah!" he shouted.

"You're alive!" Wendy said. She giggled, and squeezed him harder.

"Of course I am," said Dipper. "Why wouldn't I be?" Wendy thought about it.

"I don't know," Wendy said. "I had a horrible dream last night. I dreamt you drowned."

"After the whole vampire thing, it's no wonder you had bad dreams," said Dipper. "But that's all it was. Just a dream."

"Yeah," said Wendy. She hugged Dipper again, and kissed him on the cheek. "Just a dream."


	23. Chapter 23

Pacifica writhed, gripped by some unseen force. Her body twitched and spasmed, rolling out of her bed. She fell onto the floor with a loud thump. She gasped, and awoke. She looked around her room. It was dark. The only light was sunlight, filtering in between the cracks in her bedroom window curtains. She put a hand out in front of her, and muttered some words. Her hand glowed green, and her eyes turned the same color. She coughed hard, like she had some hair stuck in her throat. The color faded, and she paced back and forth.

"What's the matter darling?" a voice crooned. She turned, and looked at her bed. Gideon was awake, staring at her. "You seem upset," he said.

"Something's not right," Pacifica said.

"What do you mean?" said Gideon. "Did you have a portent?"

"Nothing like that," said Pacifica. "But can't you feel it? It's like everything is wrong." She pulled her pajama sleeve back, and began to itch her arm. "It's like I'm covered in bug spray. I just feel oily and awful. But not just my skin. It's deeper than that. I feel it in my soul."

"I don't have one of those," Gideon chuckled. "So it's no wonder I can't feel it."

"It's horrible," Pacifica said.

"What could be the cause?" Gideon asked. "It's not the Master. He would have told me."

"No, this doesn't have the touch of the Master," said Pacifica. "This is magic. Terrible, powerful magic." Gideon narrowed his eyes.

"I thought you were the only witch in Gravity Falls," Gideon said.

"I was," said Pacifica. "That Candy girl dabbled in it, but she got sent back to Korea." She opened the shades, and let the sunlight come in. "Clearly, I'm not the only one anymore."

"Who else could be using magic?" Gideon asked.

"What about your good side?" asked Pacifica. Gideon laughed aloud.

"No way," said Gideon. "I have him under my thumb. All he does is work, serve me, and sleep. I'd know if he was using my book." Pacifica's eyes widened.

"Book!" She said. Gideon raised his eyebrows.

"I don't follow," said Gideon.

"The twins!" Pacifica shouted. "Didn't you say the three had spells in it?" Gideon clenched his teeth, and punched the bed.

"Of course!" he roared. "It was one of them."

"No wonder everything feels so wrong," said Pacifica. "They don't know what they're doing. They probably screwed something up."

"They have a history of that," said Gideon. "Poor Robbie is still feeling the effects of that spell the girl cast."

"This is bad," said Pacifica. "This isn't just some minor incantation. The spell they cast messed with the something really deep."

"I'll just have the Master undo it," said Gideon.

"I'm not sure he can," said Pacifica.

"You dare question the power of the Master?" Gideon asked.

"No!" Pacifica said. She shook her head. "No, of course not. I've seen what he can do. I know he's powerful. But this is different. What he does and what I do is completely different."

"How so?" asked Gideon. Pacifica tapped her finger against her chin. She snapped her fingers, and pulled a blanket off the bed.

"Imagine this blanket is Gravity Falls," said Pacifica. "The Master is trying to tear this blanket apart. That's how the monsters get it. He rips at the fabric of the universe, and the monsters walk in from different dimensions. Magic, what I do, changes the nature of the universe. It keeps it intact, it just changes the qualities of it. Essentially, I'm just changing the color of the blanket. Get it?"

"Not really," growled Gideon. "But I trust you." He got out of the bed, and stretched. "Can you make it right?"

"Of course," said Pacifica. "But I have to know what spell they used. I can't counteract it until I do."

"I'm guessing that's going to be involved," said Gideon.

"Yes," said Pacifica. "I'm going to have to get close to the twins. I'm going to have to reveal myself to them." Gideon frowned.

"Disappointing," he said. "I was hoping to keep you out of sight."

"I know," said Pacifica. "But this is necessary. Believe me, there is something horribly wrong going on." "Well, we know their whereabouts," said Gideon. "Best you do this sooner rather than later."

"Agreed," said Pacifica. "If they find McGucket, the plan will be severally compromised. We need to be on our toes later, if they go after him."

"The Gobblewonker is guarding him," said Gideon. "They'll have a hard time getting passed him."

"Maybe," said Pacifica. "But those brats are resourceful. They defeated the Summerween Trickster as children."

"I remember," said Gideon. "The Master was not happy about that. He was one of the Master's most powerful minions."

"Do you really remember the Master back then?" asked Pacifica. "Back when he was still human?"

"Of course I do!" said Gideon. "The Master is the reason I'm alive. He tore me away from that gibbering mess that was Gideon Gleeful, and gave me life. I know everything about him. I remember every little detail. I feel everything. His ambition, his hunger, his pain." Gideon sighed. "Oh, and there is so much pain."

"Not for long," said Pacifica. She walked over to Gideon, and hugged him. "Soon, Gravity Falls will be the Master's again. He'll take this place back. Just you wait and see." Gideon smiled. It was a wide, shark like smile.

"I know," Gideon said. "The Master is great. He will make the huddled masses bow to him. He will take revenge on the boy who destroyed him. And he will ruin the girl who stood against him, and gave the boy the tools to defeat him. It has been foretold, and so it shall be done."

"I love it when you get all chanty," said Pacifica. The two kissed.

"Go find the Twins," said Gideon.

"I'll meet them at the Shack," said Pacifica. "Robbie will likely need tending to."

"Is he ready?" asked Gideon. "He cannot compromise the plan. He must trick Mabel."

"He doesn't want to do it," said Pacifica. "But he realizes its import. He will do as he has been asked."

"Good," said Gideon. "Now off with you." Pacifica opened a drawer, found some clean clothes, and went out of the room. Gideon sat back on the bed. He closed his eyes. A channel opened up in his mind. The strange, terrible voice of the Master filled his head. "How bad is it?" asked Gideon. The Master droned, and Gideon gasped. "Foolish girl!" shouted Gideon. "The Pines wench could ruin us all!" The Master droned, and Gideon's mouth dropped open. "My God," said Gideon. "We'd be stuck. No escape." Gideon opened his eyes, and the Master's voice faded away. "Good luck Pacifica," said Gideon. "It's not just our plan at stake anymore. It's the whole of the universe."


	24. Chapter 24

"I don't know, something just feels off," said Mabel. She was sitting outside with Wendy. The two had spread a blanket between them, and were munching on sandwiches Mabel had thrown together. "I can't explain it. It's just like something weird is going on."

"I know what you mean," said Wendy. "It's like looking at an optical illusion. You know something wacky is happening, but you can't put your finger on it."

"I bet it's leprechauns," said Mabel.

"What makes you say that?" asked Wendy.

"When I was little, I hated leprechauns," said Mabel. "Everyone told me they weren't real. They'd say, 'you're crazy Mabel, leprechauns don't exist.' But if vampires exist, I bet leprechauns do. And I bet they're doing evil things. People say they're all gold and rainbows, but I know they're up to something sinister." Mabel put down her sandwich. "You hear that leprechauns!" she shouted. "I'm onto you!"

"You're a bit strange," said Wendy.

"I know," said Mabel. "It makes life more interesting."

"But it probably is something sinister," sighed Wendy. "Nothing is simple anymore. I keep jumping at weird sounds and shadows. Before I could just chalk them up to tricks of the light, or the wind blowing in the trees. Now they might be some horrible thing."

"Yeah," said Mabel. "I thought Waddles was eating evil lettuce, and I threw it down the garbage disposal." She picked her sandwich back up, and took another bite. "Turns out the lettuce wasn't evil, it was just a little old. Waddles wasn't very happy."

"You really think that we should be worrying about produce?" asked Wendy.

"I don't know," said Mabel. "Everything seems vaguely sinister now." A smile crossed Mabel's face. "Except Dipper. He's still cool." Mabel hugged herself. "I don't know what I'd do without him. I wouldn't be able to face all this craziness without his help, that's for sure."

"Dipper is pretty awesome," said Wendy. Mabel opened her mouth to respond, but a loud coughing noise cut them off. They turned, and saw an ancient car coming up through the entrance. Every few seconds the car gave a loud cough, and spurted out black smoke through its tailpipe.

"What a piece of junk," said Mabel. Wendy's lips were pursed, and her eyes had narrowed. "What's up with you?"

"That's Pacifica's car," said Wendy.

"Pacifica?" A look of remembrance came over Mabel's face. "Oh that's right, Pacifica!" Mabel frowned. "She wasn't very nice to me back then."

"She's still not very nice," said Wendy. "In fact, she's a bitch." Mabel had never heard Wendy call anyone that before. Wendy was a pretty nice girl. You'd have to work really hard to get her to call you a bitch. The car pulled into the parking lot, and its driver put it in park. Pacifica got out of the car. She had gone from being pretty to being beautiful. She had long blond hair, carefully tied into a ponytail. Her makeup was impeccably done. She wore designer jeans, and black top. She walked with learned grace, and the air around her seemed to sparkle. Mabel couldn't help but feel a little impressed. She sauntered over to where Mabel and Wendy sat. Mabel noticed that her shoes had a sheen that came from being frequently polished.

"Mabel Pines," Pacifica said. "It has been a lifetime since I've seen you." Mabel stood up, and dusted herself off.

"Yeah," said Mabel. "It's been seven years."

"Hardly feels like it," said Pacifica. "I can remember hanging with you like it was yesterday."

"Hanging with me?" Mabel shook her head. "I don't think we ever hung out."

"Oh please," said Pacifica. She waved a hand out, as if dismissing the idea. "Of course we hung out. We were buddies!" She took a good look at Mabel. "My, you've gotten pretty. Your hair is less mousy." Pacifica leaned in, looking at Mabel's features. "A lot less acne, very good. And no braces! Oh, those things were terrible. I see we still like to wear sweaters."

"I like sweaters," grumbled Mabel.

"Of course, of course," said Pacifica. "It's always good to have something unique. Something you."

"What do you want Pacifica?" asked Wendy. She stood up, and stood next to Mabel. Mabel was frowning, her hands in the pockets of her sweater.

"I just wanted to see an old friend," said Pacifica. "Is that so wrong?"

"You sure treat your friends funny," said Wendy. "You've been here for all of five minutes, and you've already made Mabel feel like shit."

"What?" Pacifica fake gasped. "I didn't mean to. I was just complimenting her." "It's fine Wendy," said Mabel. "I can handle this." Mabel took her hands out of her pockets, and marched closer to Pacifica. They were inches from each other. "I'm surprised Pacifica. I know you didn't like me, but I didn't think you'd drive all the way to the Shack to insult me."

"I try to be nice, and this is what I get," said Pacifica. She shook her head. "What a bother, what a bother. Oh well, can't say I didn't try." She took out a hand mirror, and looked at herself. She smoother her hair back, and winked into her reflection. "Where are you going to be later?"

"Why?" probed Wendy.

"Just need to know where to avoid," said Pacifica. She had given up on any pretext of kindness. Wendy growled, and closed in on Pacifica. Mabel held out a hand.

"Really not worth it," said Mabel. "Look Pacifica, we're into stuff you can't understand. Big stuff. Stuff a selfish person like yourself wouldn't understand. So please just leave us alone."

"Fine," said Pacifica. She whirled around, and walked back to her car. She slammed the door, and started it up. The car wheezed and coughed as it started, black smoke pouring out. She backed out, and left the parking lot. Mabel and Wendy stood together, each fuming.

"You're right," said Mabel. "She is a bitch."

"Unbelievable," said Wendy. "I literally can't believe it."

"What did she do to you?" said Mabel. "I didn't think you two really spent time with each other."

"She's in the same grade as one of my brothers," said Wendy. "She made fun of them all the time. Called our family blue-collar trash, said we were worthless. And that was the kinder stuff. She's just a really terrible person." Wendy smiled. "At least her father got taken down a peg."

"I remember that," said Mabel. "She deserved it. I don't like being mean to people, but she really deserved it." The two sat back down, and finished up their sandwiches. As they packed everything up, Dipper came running toward them.

"All right, I have a plan!" he shouted. "We're going to recruit old man McGucket."

"The crazy guy who thought he was a toaster?" asked Wendy.

"Toaster?" asked Dipper. "I thought he said he was a hot dog." All three stopped talking.

"Major déjà vu," said Wendy.

"Same here," said Mabel.

"That makes three," said Dipper. "That means it's probably not coincidence."

"Funny stuff like that has been happening all day," said Mabel. "Me and Wendy were talking about it, before Pacifica showed up."

"Pacifica? Pacifica West?" asked Dipper. Wendy nodded. "What the hell did she want?"

"Nothing," said Wendy. "She just wanted to stop by and harass Mabel."

"What a jerk!" said Dipper.

"Let's just forget about her," said Mabel. "We need to focus on this McGucket thing." The three talked for a while. They hashed out where he lived, and how they would get there. "To the docks!" Dipper shouted.

"Look at Dipper trying to be all manly," giggled Wendy. All three shared another look.

"Deja vu?" asked Dipper.

"Yup," the girls replied in unison.

"Yeah, something strange is going on," said Dipper. "Mabel, run inside and grab me a jacket. It might be cold out on the water."

"Why don't you do it yourself?" asked Mabel.

"Because I have an awesome sister to do it for me," said Dipper. Mabel rolled her eyes, and walked back to the shack. She opened the door, and went to the coat rack. As she did, she noticed Robbie messing with an electrical socket.

"What's up Rob?" asked Mabel.

"Not much," said Robbie. "Trying to fix this stupid plug. I think Waddles might have chewed on it."

"Silly pig," said Mabel. Robbie put his tools down, and walked over to her.

"Where you guys going?" said Robbie.

"To the docks," said Mabel. "Hang out, maybe do some fishing."

"Gotcha," said Robbie. He scratched the back of his head, and took a big breath. "Whatcha doing after?"

"Don't know," said Mabel. "Probably not much."

"Doyoumaybewannahangoutorsomething?" asked Robbie.

"Woah, slow down there tiger," said Mabel. "One word at a time."

"I said, do you want to hang out or something?" asked Robbie. Mabel squealed.

"Of course!" she shouted. She cleared her throat. "I mean, that would be a smashing good idea Robert." Robbie laughed.

"All right, cool," he said. "Just come get me when you get back. I can probably knock off work early."

"Awesome," said Mabel. She plucked a coat from the rack, and gave Robbie a kiss on the cheek. She bolted out the door. Robbie waited until she was gone. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, and rubbed the spot where Mabel had kissed him.

"Unclean," he hissed. "Unclean, unclean." He scrubbed his cheek until it was red and raw. He put his handkerchief back, and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed a number, and waited until someone picked up. "They're going to the docks. I think they're after McGucket."

"Right," said Pacifica. She was on the other end. She was sitting in her car, flipping through a book of spells she had brought with her. "I'll follow them there. I'll find a way to stay with them when they try to find him. I think she's going to use the spell soon."

"How do you know?" asked Robbie.

"It's just a gut feeling," said Pacifica. "I think I know what spell she used. If I'm correct, we're in terrible danger." Pacifica closed her book. "Did you do your part?" she asked.

"Yes," said Robbie. "We're hanging out later today."

"Good," said Pacifica. "She must fall for you if she is to betray Dipper."

"I know," said Robbie.

"I can't imagine how painful this must be for you," said Pacifica. "Seeing your love in the hands of the Dipper boy. Being forced to be with the girl who destroyed your face. Must be horrible."

"It is," said Robbie. "But it will be worth it in the end."

"That it will," said Pacifica. "That it will." She hung up the phone, and started off towards the docks.


	25. Chapter 25

Pacifica did the spell carefully, slowly. Augury was one of the more difficult schools of magic. Creating a solitary magic window was easy enough. But making one that followed a group of people around was a different matter. Her chanting was slow, but powerful. Each word was carefully chosen. Each twitch of her fingers, each blink of her eye, everything worked in concert. When it was done, the green glow that had covered her body faded. All that was left was her, and the small empty box that she had at her feet. She tapped the box, and a screen appeared at its front. On the screen, Pacifica could see Dipper, Mabel, and Wendy. They had made their way onto a boat, and were untying it from the dock.

"What happens?" asked Pacifica. She was alone in her room. Her stuffed animals leered at her in the darkness, their eyes aglow from the soft light of the magical screen. "What spell did you cast, Pine girl?" The group began to steer the boat towards the cave. Dipper opened the Three book, and Pacifica gasped. "Such power," she said to herself. She wished that she could hear what was being said, but that was beyond her. The boat slowly approached the caves. "The Gobblewonker," muttered Pacifica. "Maybe it tried to harm them. Maybe…" Pacifica felt cold panic flood her bones. She stood up, knocking the box over. The magical screen shorted out, and the room faded into darkness. She ran from the room, throwing the door open. She bounded down the stairs, and threw open the front door. She sprinted across the lawn, cursing its immense length. Any second now the Pine girl was going to make the mistake. She was going to cast the spell that would put all of them at risk. Pacifica finally got past the lawn, and found her car. She ran to it, and reached into her purse. She pulled out her lipstick. She climbed onto the hood of the car, and with her lipstick wrote, "DO NOT LET THEM ENTER THE CAVE!" on her windshield. She closed her eyes, and began to chant. Her body glowed green, and she touched the words. They flashed. The spell had been cast. Pacifica sighed. "Now we wait," she said. She sat there for a moment, thinking of how absurd she would look if anyone came outside. A minute passed. Maybe her hunch had been wrong. Maybe-

"Good," said Gideon. "Now off with you." Pacifica opened a drawer, found some clean clothes, and walked out of Gideon's room. Evil Gideon, as she sometimes thought of him, lived in a small apartment complex about fifteen minutes outside of town. It was a pain in the ass coming to see him, but she didn't have much of a choice. She hadn't really wanted to date him, but at the same time she couldn't turn him down. He had a direct link to the Master, and she didn't want to compromise that relationship. Why would she? The master had promised her so much. She was already a talented witch, but she only possessed a few books of spells. If she had access to other books, such as the Three, her power would increase tenfold. As she made her way across the parking lot, a flash of pink caught her eye. She gasped, and dropped the clothes she had been holding on the ground. Someone had written something on her windshield. She ran to her car, and stopped. She thought maybe one of her many haters had found her car and had messed with it. But it was a message. A message… in her own handwriting.

"Do not let them enter the cave," she read aloud. She shook her head. How could this have happened? Had she sleepwalked? Had she been possesed? And what did it mean? She knelt down, and picked up the clothes she had dropped. She tossed them in the backseat of her car, and opened the driver side door. She got in, closed the door behind her, and shut her eyes. All was quiet. She was concentrating immensely hard. An idea suddenly came to her. She opened her eyes, murmured an arcane phrase, and waved her hand. The lipstick flashed green. "Magic is involved," said Pacifica. "My magic. Why?" She shut her eyes again. "Don't let them enter the caves. Caves. McGucket. The Gobblewonker." She opened her eyes. "They're going to try and save McGucket. The Gobblewonker is guarding McGucket. So the Gobblewonker attacked them. And if they were about to be killed, what spell…" she trailed off. "The reversal of fortune." She jammed the key into the ignition so hard she thought it might break. She turned it, put the car in reverse, and pulled out of the parking lot. Her tires squealed as she peeled out of the apartment complex, and onto the main road. She remembered the first time she had heard of the reversal of fortune. She had been exploring the back of her Grandfather's library, and had found some ancient spellbooks. She could not have been older than fifteen. She had been reading one bound in black leather. The spells were ones she had all seen before, until she got to the very back of the book.

'The reversal of fortune,' the book had read, 'is a spell so dangerous I hesitate to write about it here. Although incredibly useful, if performed incorrectly it could spell the doom of whatever dimension the caster happens to inhabit. In short, the reversal is a time spell. It takes the caster back to the morning of the day the spell was cast. The danger from the reversal comes if one does not leave clues that one cast it. If a time-impervious spell is not cast, the caster will forget they cast the spell in the first place. This causes an infinite, unbreakable time loop that dooms every living being to repeat the same day for all eternity.' She had not bothered to learn that spell. She thought it too dangerous. The idea of having to repeat the same day over and over, never ceasing, was too terrible to comprehend. It would be like some sort of hell. Pacifica pulled up to the Docks, and was shocked to see that the police had beat her to the punch. Gideon had not expected anyone to notice Fiddleford's disappearance to be noticed for at least another day. She put the car in neutral, and closed her eyes again. The police would not allow anyone to rent a boat while there was an ongoing investigation. Therefore, the Pines would have had to find another way of getting to the caves.  
Pacifica parked in the nearby pool parking lot, and got out of the car. How else could they get there. She was about to close her eyes again, when raised voices caught her attention.

"Do you remember the pool being that crowded?" It was the Pines boy.

"Oh my God! Deja vu again!" This time it was the Corduroy girl who spoke. "This is starting to get really, really annoying." Pacifica ducked behind a nearby car. The trio was crossing across the front of the pool, walking past the gate that separated the swimming public from the rest of the world. Carefully, Pacifica tailed them. The group went past the pool, and into a wooded clearing. Pacifica sped up, and ducked into some bushes as she entered the forest. Mabel turned around.

"You okay?" Dipper asked.

"Yeah," said Mabel. "I just thought I saw something." The trio began to walk along a dirt path. Pacifica followed them, her brain going a mile a minute. She could think of nothing, until she heard the sound of running water. They were going towards a boat. Acting purely on instinct, Pacifica pointed at the ground under the trio's feet, and muttered a curse. There was a rumble, and the ground began to sink underneath them like quicksand.

"What the hell is going on!?" screamed Wendy.

"I don't know!" said Dipper. "Just grab on to something!" As the group struggled, Pacifica weaved her way through the bushes. Branches and brambles grabbed at her dirty clothes. She finally found the boat, and breathed a sigh of relief. She was close to stopping all this. She began to mutter, and raised her hands. There was a sound of metal clanging against metal, and the boat began to take on water. It slowly sunk until it hit the bottom of the riverbed. Pacifica jumped and clapped her hands together with glee. She could feel it. Everything was going back to normal. That strange, oily feeling was vanishing. The world was clicking back into place. She heard angry voices approaching, and realized the group had found a way out of her quicksand trap. She weaved her way deeper into the forest, until she had completely disappeared.

"I can't believe it!" said Wendy. "What the hell happened?"

"Here's your problem," said Mabel. "There's a big hole in the side of the boat. A crazy big one."

"Yeah," said Dipper. "It looks like a shark took a chunk out of it." Wendy shook her head.

"Someone did this on purpose," she said. "Someone knows we're trying to find McGucket."

"Who?" asked Mabel.

"It could be anybody," said Dipper. "We still don't know much about what's going on. And until our memory comes back, we're just going to have to deal with that."

"Damn," said Wendy. "There's no way we can reach McGucket now."

"We'll come back to him," said Dipper. "Once the cops leave, we'll have free reign of the lake." He pulled his notepad out of his pocket, and began to flip through it. "All right, well if we can't get McGucket, then next is Robbie."

"You know, I've been thinking about that," said Wendy. "I know you and Mabel think he's changed, but honestly, you don't know him as well as I do." Mabel narrowed her eyes at Wendy. "It's just, well, I he kind of freaked out in high school. I don't know. He started having some weird personal problems, and then one day he just stopped showing up." Wendy shrugged. "Before he left, he was a wreck. It was weird. He wore a balaclava over his face all the time. He spoke in a weird, deep voice. It was really off putting."

"Well he's different now," said Mabel. She crossed her arms. "Whatever weirdness he had in high school is completely gone."

"Are you sure?" asked Dipper. Mabel huffed.

"Honestly Dipper, I'm a little surprised at you," Mabel said. "I didn't say one word about Wendy helping us out. But just because I like Robbie, you-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Dipper. "Take a chill pill Maves. It's nothing like that."

"Whatever," said Mabel. "Let's just skip Robbie then." Wendy and Dipper looked at each other. Wendy shrugged.

"Okay…" said Dipper. "Well, that just leaves Grenda."

"Well she's my friend, so she's obviously out," said Mabel.

"Mabel, stop being unreasonable," said Dipper. Mabel opened her mouth to retort, but Wendy spoke.

"I actually really like the idea of Grenda on the team," Wendy said. "Have you seen her lately? She's huge! And no offense Dipper, but we could really use some muscle on the team."

"No offense taken," said Dipper. "All right, Grenda's house it is." Dipper and Wendy began to walk back towards the car, but Mabel didn't move. Dipper sighed. "Go on ahead," he said to Wendy. Wendy nodded, and began to walk back up the path. Dipper walked over to his sister.

"Don't talk to me," Mabel said.

"Sure," said Dipper. "If that's the way you want to play it, you can hang out here in the forest by yourself. No skin off my back." Dipper turned to walked away, but Mabel grabbed his arm.

"Fine," she said. "Let's talk." "Okay," said Dipper. "Why don't you like any of my boyfriends?" asked Mabel.

"I don't know why you think that!" said Dipper. "And what does that have to do with anything? Robbie isn't even your boyfriend!"

"No, he isn't," said Mabel. "But he did ask me out." Dipper's jaw dropped.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes really!" shouted Mabel. "I'm an attractive girl. Why wouldn't he ask me out?"

"But- you can't- I mean…" Dipper scratched his head. "Well, I don't know what to say. I'm with Wendy, so I can't tell you not to be with anybody. But Mabel, me and Wendy just feel right. You and Robbie don't even know each other. With everything that's going on, you really want to throw dating on top of it?"

"Yes!" said Mabel. "I'd like to have a little fun during my summer vacation! And if Robbie can help with that, then why shouldn't I see him?"

"I don't know," said Dipper. "I don't know Mabel." Dipper put a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Look, I didn't like any of your boyfriends because they were all assholes. It had nothing to do with the fact that they were dating you. They just weren't very good people."

"I guess I do have kind of a bad track record with my ex's," said Mabel. "But Robbie isn't like that!"

"But he was Mabel," said Dipper. "He was for a long time."

"He's not anymore," said Mabel. "Please Dipper, give him a chance." Dipper took his hand off Mabel's shoulder.

"Fine," said Dipper. "But I'm not sure we should tell him about all this. Not because I don't trust him, but because if he gets dragged in, you and him are never going to be happy together." Mabel nodded.

"All right. No need to tell him," she said.

"Are we cool?" asked Dipper. Mabel smiled, and slugged her brother on the shoulder.

"We cool, fool," she said. They looped arms, and began to walk back up the path.

 


	26. Chapter 26

Twenty years before Mabel, Dipper, and Wendy arrived at Grenda's house on a cool summer afternoon, Stan Pines sat in the darkness. The Mystery Shack was a near empty log cabin at that point, except for the lab that Stan knew slept downstairs. The lab he had found almost by accident. He, of course, had never considered it an accident. He considered it fate. A rare stroke of luck in a life that had been very, very unlucky.

Stan Pines sat in the darkness, and sipped on a glass of whiskey. The only noise in the room was the ice knocking against the side of the glass as Stan drank. He was dressed in his best suit, and his hair was neatly combed. His once muscular frame was starting to sag. His once handsome face was wrinkled, and his hair was grey. He shivered once or twice as a breeze passed through the house. He sipped at his whiskey, and he continued to shiver even after the cold was gone. There was a knock at the door. Stan tried to set the last few sips of his whiskey down, but his shaking hands made it impossible. The glass slipped out of his grip, and landed with a crash on the floor. Stan sighed, but did nothing. He heard the creak of an opening door, and moments later heard the same door click shut. The steady rhythm of footsteps against the wooden floor approached him. They stopped. A figure loomed in the doorway.

"The deal has been made," said the figure.

"How long?" Stan asked.

"Fifteen years," said the figure, "from tomorrow."

"Who?" Stan whispered. The figure did not answer for a long time.

"They are not born yet," he said.

"Will I love them?" asked Stan. His voice was barely audible.

"Of course," the figure said. "You'll have to. It will be what gives them power. At least, part of what gives them power."

"Why do I feel like I'm making a deal with the devil?" Stan said. The figure shrugged.

"Better me than Cipher, right?" the figure asked. Stan shivered.

"I wish you wouldn't say that name," said Stan. He narrowed his eyes. "I know you don't want to hear this, but I never would have signed that contract if I had known I had to fight that thing. It's pure evil."

"I wouldn't have written the contract in the first place if I knew how many would lose their lives because of them," said the figure. "But Stan, it was just a piece of paper. There was no magic in those contracts. You could have left us at any time. You stayed because you wanted to."

"Maybe," said Stan. He put his head in his hands. "Oh God. What have I done? What have we done?" Stan chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "Better you than Cipher? How many deals did we make with him before we realized what he was? How many people suffered because of our stupidity." Stan raised his head. He was crying. "Deals with the devil. Every deal I've ever made has been with the devil."

"Not this one," said the man who was to become the Master. "I promise."

Mabel had dozed off in the car. They had gotten to Grenda's house only to discover that she was off at a weightlifting competition, and wouldn't be back for another two days. Dipper had gone on a rant about wasting precious time, and he and Wendy had argued about something stupid. Mabel didn't care. Honestly, she was sick of it. The previous night weighed heavily in her mind. She kept reliving the vampire attack over and over again. Why had she agreed to this? Because Dipper was a good person? Because, for some crazy reason, her brother felt responsible for the wellbeing of an entire town?

Maybe this was all a mistake. When they had first arrived, Dipper had said something about the mind repressing memories it found too horrible to contemplate. She had dismissed him, but she wished she hadn't. Things were coming back. Terrible, unbelievable things. They played in snippets of her dreams. A floating head. Men made of aliens. A cult that erased peoples minds. Why hadn't they just left when they had the chance?

"I guess I'll see you tonight," said Wendy. Dipper sighed.

"I'm sorry I yelled," he said. "I just really wanted to get something done today. Now the docks are closed off until further notice, and Grenda's gone. We didn't get anyone. It's still just us." Wendy put a hand on Dipper's shoulder.

"We'll get through it," she said. They kissed, and Wendy got out of the car. As she went into the house, Mabel turned towards her brother.

"So, what next?" she asked.

"Sleep," said Dipper. "We have about three hours until sundown. Then we go on patrol again, I guess."

"Do we have to?" asked Mabel. A look of fierce anger passed over Dipper's face. Before Dipper could talk, Mabel shook her head. "Just joking, just joking," she said. Dipper's expression cooled, and he said nothing. He pulled out of Tambry's parents parking space, and started back towards the shack. Mabel closed her eyes again, and drifted off.

As Mabel drifted off to sleep, Stan pulled into the Oaky Way trailer park. He found the trailer he was looking for, a beat up old blue singlewide. He pulled onto the dirt patch that served as a makeshift driveway, and put the car in park. He got out, straightened his tie and fez, and marched up to the front door. He knocked briskly. A booming bark sounded from inside the mobile home.

"Shut up Einstein!" came a voice. The barking stopped. The door latch was slid back, and the door opened. The man that stood before Stan was about the same age as he was. He was mostly bald, with a few patches of white hair sticking haphazardly on his head. He was much shorter than Stan, but also a lot less rotund. He wore thin glasses, a thick woolen robe, and slippers. When he saw Stan, he smiled widely. "My God, Stan Pines! It's been years!"

"How you doin' Marsh?" asked Stan. The two men embraced. A Welsh corgi peered curiously at the two men from inside the trailer.

"I'm doing alright," said Marsh. "A hell of a lot better since I got out of that town." Stan's smile faltered. "Here, why don't you come in?"

"Thanks," said Stan. The two old men walked inside the trailer, and Marsh shut the door behind them. Einstein, the dog, sniffed at Stan curiously. Stan scratched the critter behind its ears, and followed Marsh into a small sitting room. Stan noticed the trailer had only four rooms: a combined kitchen and dining room, the sitting room, a bedroom that was entirely too small, and a door that Stan guessed led to a bathroom. Stan took one of the two chairs available in the sitting room. Marsh carefully sat down in the other.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" asked Marsh.

"If I said I just wanted to visit an old friend, would you believe me?" asked Stan. Marsh laughed.

"An old friend? My God Stan, I think we've been a lot of things to each other, but I wouldn't really call being friends one of them," said Marsh.

"Fair enough," said Stan. "I need your help Marsh."

"I thought as much," said Marsh. "I'm afraid I'm not going to do you much good."

"Why not?" asked Stan. "Look, I know you've been out of the game for a while, but-"

"I'm dying," said Marsh. Stan stared blankly at him. "Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Doc says I probably got another month or two left in me."

"No," Stan whispered.

"Yes," said Marsh. "I'm fine with it. I've lived a good life." He tilted his head to the side. "Well, maybe not a good life. But certainly an interesting one." He steadied his head, and looked into Stan's eyes. "I don't regret it. Not one single thing."

"I do," said Stan.

"Of course you do," said Marsh. "How old were you when you signed the contract? Not even thirty, right?"

"I was twenty-five," said Stan. "I was the youngest."

"By damn near a decade," said Marsh. "Then it was Doug, he was thirty-three I think, and Tom was just forty, I was forty-two, and of course-"

"Don't," growled Stan. Marsh fidgeted.

"Sorry," said Marsh. "I forgot about the bad blood."

"Yeah," said Stan. "You did. Because you left as soon as things got bad."

"You really haven't changed," said Marsh. "You're still so uncouth that you would attack a dying man."

"Tell me I'm wrong," said Stan. "Tell me that when things stopped going to plan you just packed up and left."

"You're not wrong," said Marsh. "And you know what? Like I said, I don't regret it." Marsh pet Einstein, who had snuggled up next to him. "These last two decades have been very peaceful, Stan. For the first time in my life, I've been able to sleep at night. No more nightmares. No more fights. No more seeing my friends die. Just good, deep sleep."

"Bully for you," said Stan. "Unlike you, I stuck with it, so the past twenty years of my life have been pretty damn miserable."

"A pity," said Marsh.

"You owe me," said Stan. "I hate to put it that bluntly, but you do. You signed that contract. Maybe it doesn't mean anything to you, but it certainly means a lot to the people that died."

"I don't owe you anything," said Marsh. "But I will help you. Not because I owe you, but because I want to. Because you're my friend, or something like it."

"You… you'll help me?" asked Stan. "Really?"

"Yes," said Marsh. He sat up straighter in his chair, and leaned forward. "So tell me everything."

"It's a long story," said Stan.

"I have time," said Marsh.

As Stan told Marsh his story, Pacifica Northwest snuggled up to the thing that used to be inside Gideon Gleeful. "The Master is most grateful that you took care of our little problem," said Gideon. "You will be rewarded handsomely for it."

"I'm grateful," said Pacifica, "for the Master's infinite wisdom."

"You should be," said Gideon. "Unfortunately, the Master still has worries. He believes that the time-twisting will have… unintended consequences."

"What do you mean?" said Pacifica.

"I am unsure," said Gideon. "The Master tells me everything, but I was not able to decipher his precise meaning. He is worried that multiple timelines could give the Pines boy an escape."

"An escape?" asked Pacifica. "What does that mean?"

"Like I said, I am unsure," said Gideon. "The Master is all knowing, but alas, I am not omnipotent. Some things the Master says are beyond me." Gideon stretched, and pulled Pacifica closer to him. "But it matter's not. The plan is still in motion. The boy will still be crushed. There is no stopping us."

"Praise the Master," said Pacifica.

"Yes," said Gideon. "Praise him." He leaned in, and kissed Pacifica.

Five years after Pacifica and Gideon shared their kiss, a man came to a grave. Snow had been falling all day, but the man could make the markings on the grave out. They read Stan Pines, April 5th 1948-June 18th 2017. The man took a rose out of his overcoat, and laid it at the foot of the grave. He let out a shaky breath.

"I miss you," the man whispered. He lingered for a moment, and then walked off. The snow crunched under his feet. He paused at the cemetery gates. He hadn't visited her grave. He had promised himself he would, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. It just hurt too bad. He opened the gate, and walked to his car. He got in, and started it up. He drove away from the cemetery, and from the town that so haunted him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A brief timeline of events. This timeline will be updated periodically to reflect new things happening in the series, as the story will occasionally be nonlinear, and I don't want any confusion:
> 
> 1973: Stan Pines, Marsh Thompson, the Master, and several other people sign a mysterious document.  
> June 7th, 1997: Stan Pines and the Master discuss a strange deal involving two people not yet born. These two people are obviously Mabel and Dipper.
> 
> Summer of 2012: Mabel and Dipper defeat the Master, and stop supernatural events from occurring at Gravity Falls.
> 
> June 5th, 2017: Mabel and Dipper pines return to Gravity Falls. Chapters 1-12 occur.
> 
> June 6th, 2017: Chapters 13-18 occur. June 7th, 2017: Chapters 19-26 our current chapter,occur. It should be noted that an alternate timeline is created. In this second timeline, Dipper is killed by the Gobblewonker, and Mabel uses a spell that accidentally causes the time to become infinitely looped.
> 
> June 18th, 2017: Stan Pines dies. 2022: An unknown man visit Stan Pines's grave.


	27. Chapter 27

Mabel was sitting in the living room, flipping through the channels on TV without stopping to see what was on. To say she was exhausted was an understatement. Every part of her, down to her bones, wanted rest. On top of that, something was nagging her. She just couldn't nail down what it might be. Soos was in his cage, Dipper was sleeping…

"Robbie!" she shouted.

"Yeah?" Mabel turned around. Robbie was leaning against the wall, casually flipping a coin and catching it as it fell. He smiled at her, and Mabel felt something inside her melt.

"Robbie," she whispered. "Oh no, I totally forgot." Robbie frowned, and stopped tossing the coin.

"You… you did?" he asked. "But we only made plans this morning."

"I know, I know," said Mabel. She stood up, and walked over to him. "I don't know what I was thinking when I said we should hang out." Robbie raised his eyebrows. "Not that I don't like you, but-"

"She already made plans with me," said Dipper. He had just come downstairs. Robbie couldn't help but notice how he was dressed. A skin-tight Under Armour shirt, and blue-and-yellow workout pants. It looked like he was going to the gym. "But they're honestly not that important. Mabel, you should hang out with Robbie." Mabel felt her jaw drop. Dipper smiled at her, and did his best not to tip her a wink.

"You… you mean it?" asked Mabel.

"Yeah," said Dipper. "Me and Wendy need some alone time anyway." Dipper thought he saw a strange look on Robbie's face- his eyes narrowed, brow furrowed, lips thinned- but it passed in a second.

"Oh thank you!" said Mabel. She ran over to her brother and hugged him.

"I'm not trying to be rude," whispered Dipper, "but you might want to shower and change your clothes before you-"

"I know," said Mabel. "Thanks butthead." She pulled his cap over his eyes. "Can you give me fifteen minutes Robbie?"

"Sure," Robbie said. Mabel scrambled upstairs, the pounding of her footsteps reverberating through the cabin. Dipper nodded to Robbie, not really sure what to say, and made his way out the door. Robbie was alone. The TV was playing some sort of terrible soap opera. Robbie took out the coin, and began flipping it again. He couldn't help picturing the way Mabel tended to look at him. It was a simpering, twitterpated kind of look that filled him with anger. He exhaled slowly. He had to do this. Had to pretend he felt some sort of attraction to the Pines girl.

/

  
Dipper had texted Wendy and told her Mabel wouldn't be joining them. It was strange, but Wendy's heart had fluttered wierdly when he had texted her that. She honestly hadn't spent that much time alone with him since he had returned to Gravity Falls. It took her a second to remember that they weren't just going out for a night on the town. They were hunting monsters. Wendy typically kept a diary, but she hadn't made any entries for the past couple of days. Everything just felt too weird. She couldn't bring herself to do it. "Dear diary, today I woke up, had a cup of coffee, and slayed the undead." It just didn't feel right.

Wendy wandered over to the mirror and looked at herself. Dipper had told her to dress in athletic clothing, which made sense. After last night Dipper wasn't fooling around. She was dressed in a faded Misfits T-shirt and loose fitting gym shorts. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail. She wasn't going to win any beauty contests, but it would get the job done. There was a knock at the door. Wendy left her room and jogged down the stairs. When she opened the door, she smiled. Dipper looked good dressed like that. The Under Armour sculpted his (not super defined) abs, which were framed by his muscular arms. Dipper must have liked what he saw as well, because he wasn't saying anything, just staring. Wendy cleared her throat, and Dipper started.

"Oh, uh, hello!" Dipper said.

"Hi," Wendy chuckled.

"You look good," said Dipper. He scratched the back of his head. Wendy had to bite her lip to keep from having a giggle-fit. He was too adorable.

"So do you," said Wendy. "So… let's get this thing going."

"Oh, right," said Dipper. His face became serious. He took Wendy by the hand and led her to his car. The both got in, and Dipper started it up.

"So where are we patrolling tonight?" asked Wendy.

"The docks," said Dipper instantly. "Or at least around the area, if it's still closed. If McGucket turns up, I want to be there. Some more memories came back. I think he's a lot more intelligent than he leads on."

"Really? He's not completely nuts?" asked Wendy.

"Oh he's crazy," said Dipper, "but I remember him still being useful. He was part of a secret society or something, I think."

"A dangerous secret society?" asked Wendy.

"Not anymore," said Dipper. "I know that. I'm not sure how or why I know that, but I know that."

"Fair enough," said Wendy. They chatted casually as they approached town. They talked about school, the various jobs they'd had while they'd been apart, what they planned on doing in the future. Anything to not think about what lied ahead. "You want to know something really weird?" asked Wendy.

"Sure," said Dipper.

"I'm having fun." Wendy shrugged. "It's just so strange. I know we're moving towards what's likely going to be our inevitable doom, but I'm just really having a good time right now. I like being with you."

"I like being with you too," said Dipper. "In another world we could have had one heck of a fun summer."

"We can still have a fun summer in this world," said Wendy. "Hunting monsters doesn't have to be all bad."

"You really think so?" asked Dipper.

"No, that's being way too optimistic," said Wendy. "But I'd like to enjoy the monster-free times we have together."

"Well maybe we should try to make some time for each other," said Dipper. "I don't think it's asking the world too much for maybe an hour or two alone." Wendy smiled.

"An hour or two alone? You dog," said Wendy, punching Dipper lightly on the shoulder. Dipper turned crimson.

"To hang out!" he barked. "And talk and stuff." Wendy laughed.

"You are just so adorably awkward, I can't even," she said. Dipper giggled despite himself.

"I can't help it," he said. "I've never exactly been smooth with the ladies."

"I think you're a little smoother than you give yourself credit for," Wendy said. Dipper's heart soared.

/

"Sorry to keep you waiting," said Mabel. She was dressed in a hot pink knee-length dress. It was a lot less frilly than Robbie was expecting. Her hair was pulled back into a bun. Her makeup was simple and incredibly well done. Just enough blush and eyeliner to accentuate her features, but not enough to make her look garish. Robbie couldn't help thinking that she was pretty, despite the raging hot anger coursing inside of him.

"It's no problem," Robbie said. He was only wearing his work outfit, jeans and a Mystery-Shack T-shirt. He hadn't bothered changing. He knew that Pacifica's spell made him a knockout regardless of what clothes he wore.

"So what do you want to do?" asked Mabel.

"I was thinking we could get some dinner," said Robbie. "There's a new restaurant in town that just opened. It's a french place, I think." Mabel hated french food, but she kept this to herself.

"That sounds wonderful," she said. She slung her purse over her shoulder and followed Robbie out of the store. As they walked to his car (a beat up old Ford Focus), neither of them talked. To Mabel, Robbie seemed nervous. Well, maybe nervous was the wrong word. He seemed preoccupied. His face kept contorting into different expression, as if he was having some sort of internal struggle. He refused to meet her eyes. She stopped a few feet from his car. "Robbie," she said slowly, "are you sure you want to do this?"

"Having second thoughts?" Robbie asked.

"Well I'm not," said Mabel. "But honestly, you don't look super comfortable with this. I don't want you to go out with me if you don't like me. You don't have to humor me."

"It's not that I don't like you," said Robbie. 'I actually want to tear you limb from limb,' he thought to himself. "It's just that, to be honest, I don't do this kind of thing very often." Uh, wow. That ended up being a lot more honest than he had intended.

"Really?" asked Mabel. "But you're so…" she trailed off. Hot? Handsome? Rugged? Fabio-esque?

"I'm just kind of a solitary guy," Robbie said. "I lost most of my friends in high school after me and Tambry broke up. And after that, I don't know, I guess I never really bothered to go out and meet anybody." Okay, what the hell is this? Why was he telling her all this!?

"Well that's okay," said Mabel. "I totally get that. When I was younger I was a total dork. I had a really hard time making friends." Mabel walked over to him, and grabbed his hands. He wanted to feel revulsion. Should have felt revulsion. But… but he didn't. "Just be yourself," said Mabel. "I like you for you. You don't have to impress me. I promise that I'll like whoever is inside here." She pointed to Robbie's chest. Robbie took his hands out of hers, and whirled around. "Robbie?" whispered Mabel.

"I actually hate french food," Robbie whispered. "I just thought it would impress you."

"Want to go to Johnny Rocket's instead?" Mabel asked. Robbie wiped the moisture from his eyes. "Yeah," Robbie said. "I'd really like that."

/

The sun had set, and Dipper had begun to slowly roll through the town proper. Both him and Wendy were on edge. Dipper had the Three journal in his lap, and Wendy clasped a stake. She thought they would look strange to anyone who looked at them, but nobody seemed to be out.

"It's funny," said Wendy. "I'm surprised there aren't more people on the streets."

"Maybe people are scared," said Dipper. "People have been disappearing, after all."

"Fair point," said Wendy. "Not to mention that the diner burned down under, uh, mysterious circumstances."

"I feel really bad about that," sighed Dipper. "But what could I do? Write the owner a letter? 'Sorry I burned down your restaurant, I had a vampire emergency?'"

"That does sound pretty ridiculous," said Wendy. "Hey, stop the car." Dipper rolled to a stop. "Look where I'm looking." Dipper followed Wendy's gaze. On the sidewalk, a man was pacing. He was dressed in a hoodie that obscured his facial features. He wore jeans, and his hands were in his pockets.

"That's a little suspicious," said Dipper.

"Should we confront him?" asked Wendy. 'If it is a him, and not an it,' she thought.

"Yeah, I think we should." Dipper tucked the Three under his arm, and Wendy placed the stake in her pocket. It stuck out of it, but it wasn't super noticeable. They got out of the car, and slowly walked over to the figure. It noticed them, and stopped pacing. They moved forward, until they too were on the sidewalk, a few feet away.

"What do you want?" asked the man. It was definitely a man. The voice was too deep to be a woman's. And to Wendy, there was something very familiar about the voice.

"We're just checking to make sure everything's all right," said Dipper.

"Why wouldn't it be?" asked the man.

"Strange things have been happening lately," said Dipper. "People disappearing and such." The man tilted his head. A nearby street-lamp illuminated his face.

"Thompson? Is that you?" asked Wendy. Thompson pulled the drawstrings on his hoodie, and stepped out of the light.

"Who's Thompson? No Thompson here," the man said.

"It's Thompson," said Wendy. "Dude, why are you acting so weird?" Thompson sighed, and pulled down his hood. He hadn't changed much. His chicken-scratch facial hair had turned into a full blown beard, but he was still chubby.

"I'm sorry," Thompson said. "It's just that, like you said, things have been weird around here lately. Last night I had a crazy encounter with something that looked like half dog, half bat. I called some of my friends, and they've been having weird experiences as well. I don't know. I thought maybe I could do something." Dipper smiled.

"Thompson, I am so glad I ran into you," Dipper said.

/

He was laughing. For some crazy reason, Robbie was actually laughing. He and Mabel had spent the better part of an hour at Johnny Rocket's, a silly fifties themed diner that had just been built right outside of town. He wanted to hate her, felt like he should hate her, but he was struggling. She was cute, she was funny, and she was compassionate. She was a lot like Tambry, only she seemed to actually care about him.

"And then," Mabel said,"Dipper slipped again, and his shoe flew off and hit Mrs. Pinsky in the head." The two laughed uproariously. "He got suspended for a week, and it wasn't even his fault." Mabel wiped a tear out of her eye.

"Wow, I had no idea he could be such a klutz," said Robbie.

"He's a lil' awkward," said Mabel. They had finished their food, and were waiting for the check. "Oh man, I'm so glad we did this. The past couple of nights have been so stressful."

"Really?" said Robbie. "Why? I thought you and Dipper were just doing summer vacation things." A frown appeared on Mabel's face.

"Well, things have gotten a little bit complicated," Mabel said. "It's not worth going into, but let's just I've been a little preoccupied." Robbie felt a twinge of guilt. Wait, guilt? WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? SHE DESTROYED YOUR FACE, ROBBIE! SHE HURT YOU!

"I… I see," said Robbie. "Well I hope it all works out."

"So do I," said Mabel. The waitress with their check skated over, and placed it on their table. They both reached for it at the same time. Their hands touched. That strange electric feeling rushed through Robbie again. It wasn't hatred. It, it was… it was how he felt when Tambry had held his hand all those years ago. Robbie yanked out his wallet and threw down a twenty. He stood up, and bolted out the door. Mabel stared after him for a moment, then followed. By the time she got out, Robbie was already opening the car.

"Robbie!" she shouted. He got in, slammed the door, and put the keys in the ignition. Mabel was struggling to reach him; she knew she should have wore more practical shoes. He peeled out of the parking lot with a screech, and zoomed onto the main thoroughfare. She was left alone, angry and confused.

/

  
"Of course I'll join you!" shouted Thompson. "Oh my God, it's like a dream come true! We're like the X-men or something!"

"I wouldn't go that far," said Dipper, "but I definitely think we could be a force for good."

"We should try to recruit more people," said Thompson. "I can maybe call a couple of my friends."

"As long as they won't think you're crazy," said Dipper.

"Well they already think I'm crazy, so it's not a big deal," said Thompson. Wendy opened her mouth to say something snarky, but a scream pierced the air. The trio turned towards the sound of the noise. Kids were pouring out of a nearby arcade, many of them crying. The three ran towards the kids, until they were only a few feet from the arcade.

"What's the matter?" Wendy asked one of the kids.

"They're alive!" screamed the little boy. "They're alive, and they're trying to kill us!" He ran as fast as his little legs would take him. Dipper looked up at the arcade.

"Freddy Fazbear's Playpen," he read aloud. "Was this place around when I was in town?"

"No," said Wendy, "they built it a couple of years ago."

"What did he mean when he said they're alive?" asked Dipper.

"I don't know," said Wendy. "Thompson, you have any ideas?" Silence. "Thompson?" The other two looked at him. All the color had drained out of his face.

"I come here a lot," he whispered. "I love videogames, and this is the only place in town that gets the most recent VR-stuff that comes in. I never figured out why, but they have these three creepy animatronics that sit at the front of the stage. I never liked those things. They always seemed just a little too real." Dipper and Wendy gulped.


	28. Chapter 28

"We can't go in there," squeaked Thompson. "Why don't we just call the cops?"

"Because the cops aren't going to be able stop the animatronics," said Dipper. "Look, this kind of thing is the whole reason me and Wendy are out here."

"Yeah Tom," said Wendy. "Ten minutes ago you were all gung-ho about trying to stop monsters and stuff.

"Yeah, but…" Thompson shook his head. "It's different now that it's real, you know?" Dipper and Wendy exchanged a look of understanding.

"We do know," said Dipper. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to." Thompson gulped, and stomped his foot.

"Let's just get this over with," he said. The three tiptoed up to the front of Freddy Fazbear's Playpen, and peered through the glass door. The main room of the arcade was barren. A couple of the games flashed blinking lights, and the emptily jovial sounds that came from them were barely audible. At the very back was a wooden staircase that led to a sort of stage. Three figures stood atop it, draped in shadows.

"So what's the layout of this place?" asked Dipper.

"This is the playroom," said Thompson. "Each side of this room branches off into a hallway. The left hallway leads to a bathroom, a maintenance room, and a security room. The left side leads to a private room, they mostly use that for birthdays I think, and a room that's been closed down pretty much since the place opened."

"Gotcha," said Dipper. "Well, my guess is that these things are possessed by high-level evil spirits. If that's the case, I'm going to have to do an exorcism."

"Well that should be easy enough," said Thompson. "We just get in there, exercise, and get out."

"It's not that simple," sighed Dipper.

"Of course it isn't," said Wendy.

"The kind of mass exorcism I need to do takes time to prepare," said Dipper. "What's more, I need to be in proximity of the ghosts so I can read their energy."

"How long are we talking?" asked Wendy.

"Six hours," said Dipper.

"Six hours!?" roared Thompson. "We, we have to survive against those things for six hours?"

"We could just torch the place," said Wendy. Dipper shook his head.

"That might destroy their physical bodies, but their spirits will still remain," he said.

"I don't think it's a good idea for us to be in there for six hours," said Wendy. "I don't see how we can outrun them for that long, especially if you have to do this exorcism thing."

"Actually… actually, I think I have an idea," said Thompson. "My friend used to work here. He said that the doors in the security room are electronically locked."

"Really?" asked Dipper.

"This place makes a lot of money," said Thompson, "and they keep the safe in the security room. That's why they take extra precautions. If we could get in there, we could lock ourselves in, and just coast for six hours."

"But what if the room is already locked?" asked Wendy.

"Well, there was obviously a security guard on duty," said Dipper, "and he might still be in there. If he's not, he might have left the door unlocked."

"But what if he's not there, and the door is locked?" asked Wendy.

"Then we run like bats out of hell and come up with another idea," said Dipper.

"I don't like this," said Wendy.

"I don't either," said Dipper. "But I'm not sure we have much of a choice." He reached out his hand, and slowly opened the door to the Playpen. The three walked in. The noises got louder as they entered the center of the room, eyes locked on the stage. It was illuminated only by the soft, electronic light that poured out from the machines. There were three animatronics- a blue bunny, a yellow duck, and a brown bear. They leered at the three humans, but didn't move. "If they start moving, then we bolt," said Dipper. The three began to move towards the left hallway, their eyes never leaving the three animatronic figures. The figures still refused to move, but Dipper could feel their eyes following him. When they reached the threshold of the hallway, Dipper motioned for the group to stop.

"The security room is the first door on the right," said Thompson.

"I'll go check it out," said Dipper. "Don't be afraid to leave me, if you have to."

"Okay," said Thompson.

"Not a chance," said Wendy. Dipper went into the hallway, breaking eye contact with the animatronics. He sprinted down the hall and reached the security door. It was open. He looked in the room and gasped. He covered his mouth to suppress a gag. The security guard was in there, but he wasn't alive anymore. His body was tucked into a corner of the room. It was covered in blood; there was a large chunk gone from his neck. In his hand he held an electronic key card, which Dipper guessed was for locking the room. He looked around, and sure enough, there was a slot next to the door that the card would fit into.

"Get in here!" Dipper shouted. He heard the sound of footsteps approaching, and he gingerly took the keycard from the security guard's hand. Thompson and Wendy entered the room. Wendy shrieked, and Thompson moaned at the sight of the body. Dipper jogged over to the key card slot, and ran the card through it. The door closed with a loud boom, and Dipper heard it lock. There was a loud buzz, and a console that Dipper had failed to notice came to life. The group walked over to it. It showed a live security feed of each room in the Playpen.

"They still haven't moved," said Wendy. Thompson's eyes returned to the security guard.

"There's nothing we can do for him," said Dipper. He sat down on the floor, and took out the Three journal. "I'm going to need to enter a trancelike state. I'm not going to be able to move, see, hear, or speak. You two are going to have to be my eyes and ears."

"Understood," said Wendy.

"We should be fine," said Dipper. "I don't see how they can get through the door, unless they find a welding torch or something." He sighed, and opened his journal. He flipped to the appropriate page, and looked up at his two companions. "But stay frosty just in case. If something goes wrong, we're dead."

"But other than that, things are going swell," said Wendy. "Who knows, maybe the owner will give us some free coupons for getting rid of the spirits haunting his shop." The two boys stared at her, neither smiling. "Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood."

"All right, here I go," said Dipper. He closed his eyes, and began chanting under his breath. The Three journal began to glow an unearthly green. The green spread up his arms, over his chest, and through his whole body. Thompson's jaw dropped.

"That is the craziest thing I have ever seen," said Thompson.

"Well you ain't seen nothin' yet," said Wendy.

/

Mabel sat in the back of the Uber car, her fingers working madly on her phone. She just didn't know what had gone wrong. One minute she and Robbie were having the time of their lives, the next he had bolted like a scared rabbit. Mabel had texted him ten times over the last twenty minutes. She wasn't trying to be annoying, but she just had to know what went wrong. She had to know if he was okay.

"We're here," said the driver. Mabel looked up, and sure enough, they were at the Shack. Mabel thanked the driver and exited the vehicle. She slowly walked up the the front door. She sighed as she opened it. She walked in, and flopped onto the couch. The only source of light was a small, dimly lit lamp on a nightstand. She could hear the snuffling and growling that Soos was doing a few rooms over. "What did I do?" she asked herself. "I don't understand." She looked at her reflection in the television. The red dress had a large stain on it; she had slipped getting into the Uber and fallen in a puddle. She bit her lower lip, desperately holding back tears.

Something caught her eye. There was someone in the corner of the room. Mabel felt her blood run ice cold. A single tear ran down her cheek. She slowly turned around. The figure in the corner was covered in shadow. She could see his jeans though… and his hands. One held a knife. She stood to run, but he was too fast. She screamed, and threw her hands out in front of her. She felt his presence, heard his roar of fury… she felt arms enveloping her. Sobbing. She was crying, but she wasn't sobbing. It was the man.

"I'm so sorry," cried Robbie. "I'm so sorry. I messed up so bad, Mabel. I need help."

"R… Robbie?" Mabel stared at the boy. She had never seen him like this. His slick, cool exterior had completely faded away. He was sobbing so hard that he was shaking. Mabel shook with him, as she was completely wrapped in his arms. "What's going on?"

"I don't know if I can explain," he said. He slowly let her go. "If I do, I'll be in terrible danger. It might be a good idea for me to just leave town."

"Me and Dipper can protect you," said Mabel. "We have ways."

"I know," whispered Robbie.

"You… you do?" asked Mabel. Robbie nodded.

"I know all about you and Dipper. About what you're trying to do, about who you're trying to stop. I know everything."

"How?" asked Mabel. Fear was creeping into her stomach. Her eyes flicked down to his hands. He was still clutching the knife in his left hand.

"I helped." Robbie's voice seemed to be coming from a faraway place. "I'm so sorry Mabel. Some of this is my fault. I don't know everything, but… but I helped."

"Helped who?" The fear was growing in Mabel. She took a step back from the crying boy. "Robbie, what the hell are you talking about? And would you please get rid of that knife?" Robbie raised the knife to eye level. He looked at it, and turned it in his hand. Then he looked at Mabel. He raised the knife, and tossed it away. Mabel saw it land a couple feet away, bouncing dully on the carpet.

"I'll tell you everything," he said. He sat down on the couch, and ran a hand through his hair. "It's a long story. You might want to sit down."

"I'm fine standing, thanks," said Mabel. Robbie nodded.

"I wouldn't trust me either," he said. "I've hated you for so long…"

"What!?" Mabel didn't know how to feel anymore. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and a hundred different emotions were coursing through her. Robbie hated her? "

You really don't remember?" asked Robbie. "Pacifica must have done a hell of a job."

"Remember what?" cried Mabel.

"What you did to me," said Robbie slowly. He raised a finger to his face. "What you made me look like."

"Robbie, I don't-" and then it hit Mabel like a ton of bricks.

/

It was five years previous, near the end of the first war with The Master.

"Robbie, stop!" roared Mabel. Robbie was standing above Dipper, leering over his fallen body. Dipper was bleeding badly now, his hair more red than brown. Robbie slowly raised his head, and locked eyes with Mabel.

"The Master is going to give me everything back," said Robbie. His voice was unhinged. His head twitched involuntarily, and his mouth leaked foam. "I'll have Wendy and Tambry both. I'll have any woman I want. All the friends I want. No one will make fun of me anymore, call me pathetic or stupid." He was crying now too. "All I have to do is, is…"

"You can't!" shouted Mabel. She was shaking violently. She had one of the journal's clutched in her hands; she had forgotten which one. "Please Robbie, don't kill him!"

"Shut up!" Robbie roared. He stared back down at Dipper. He slowly raised the knife he had been holding. The strange runes that had been inscribed on it glittered in the moonlight. Mabel opened the journal, and turned to a random page. It was a spell. She mustered all her courage, all her hope, and did her best to dispel her fear. She spoke the incantation aloud, and pointed a finger at Robbie's face. A beam of light coursed off her finger as Robbie brought the knife down on her brother's prone form. It hit the teen full on in the face. He dropped the knife and clutched at his face. He was screaming, clearly in unbearable pain. "What did you do to me!?" He cried.

Mabel looked down at the spell. She had cast it without fully reading it. The spell read, 'Revealing The True Face.' She looked at Robbie. He slowly took his hands away from his face. Mabel dropped the journal and screamed. "What did you do!?" He screamed. "What did you do!?"

/

Mabel stared at Robbie as if she had never seen him before. He was handsome now, rugged. But she knew it was not his true face. She had revealed his true face, and it had been awful.

"You were going to kill him," Mabel whispered.

"I had lost everything." Robbie was still quiet. "Tambry broke up with me after she found out I was still trying to get with Wendy. All of my, 'friends,' thought I was a scumbag and stopped hanging out with me. And then He came."

"The Master," said Mabel. Robbie nodded.

"Yes," he said. "He promised me everything I've ever wanted. Fame, money, women, power. And all I had to do was…"

"Kill somebody." Mabel was horrified.

"No," said Robbie. "Not just anybody. The kid who had wrecked my life in the first place." Robbie crinkled his nose. "So of course I agreed to do it."

"You're a monster," said Mabel. Robbie chuckled.

"Not then I wasn't," he said. "Misguided, yes. Confused, angry… torn up inside. I wasn't myself. So I waited for my moment. I followed you two while you were battling The Master. When He blew up the water main line, and Dipper took the brunt of the hit, I saw my chance. I was going to do it." He gulped. "And then you cast that spell. That's when I became a monster."

"You were a monster before that," Mabel said. "That spell didn't warp your face. It just showed who you were really are." Robbie ignored her comment.

"I spent years looking like that. I told my parents I had got caught in the blast. They offered to give me plastic surgery, but I knew somehow that it wouldn't work. I… I can't tell you how bad life got. I had to drop out of high school." He shivered. "And my parents abandoned me. I was alone, homeless. I wanted to… I mean, I tried to..." he couldn't bring himself to finish. "But then Pacifica found me. She said The Master was coming back, and that she needed my help."

"Wait, Pacifica is involved in this?" asked Mabel. Robbie nodded. "She's the reason you can't remember anything," he said. "After Dipper left and broke her heart, she found a secret library in the back of the mansion. She began learning spells, and she got in contact with The Master. I'm sure He promised her all the same things He promised me." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, she said she needed my help. She said if I did what she told me, I'd get my face back. And that…" he sighed. "And that I'd get to kill you." There was silence. "And you said yes," said Mabel. Robbie nodded. "I did," he said. "Pacifica gave me a temporary face. Helped me get a job at the shack. And all I had to do was make sure you didn't get in the way."

"Of what?" Mabel asked.

"Of her and The Master's plan."

"And what plan is that?"

"They're going to kill Dipper." Mabel gasped. She'd known, of course she'd known, but somehow hearing it was horrifying. She took another few steps back.

"And what?" she whispered. "You, you just magically had a change of heart? You spend a little time with me, and now all of the sudden your homicidal urges are cured?"

"I don't want to hurt anyone," he said. "I don't know how I feel about you Mabel. But I do know that you're a nice girl. You've been nicer to me than anyone has in years. You don't deserve what I was going to do to you."

"DO YOU THINK!?" she roared. "GEE, THANKS FOR NOT KILLING ME, YOU ASSHOLE! I'M SO GRATEFUL!"

"I'll help however you need me to," said Robbie.

"We don't need your help," spat Mabel.

"Yes you do," Robbie said. "There are things you still don't know. Things I can help protect you from." Mabel was breathing heavily.

"How do I know you want change your mind again?" she asked. "That you won't just snap, and decide that I deserve to… to die again?"

"You don't," said Robbie. "But if I wanted to kill you, I could have. I could have done it just a few minutes ago, and I didn't. I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. Maybe this whole time I just needed someone to be nice to me. To not treat me like garbage."

"You brought it on yourself," said Mabel. "You were awful. Tambry really liked you. People wanted to give you a chance."

"I was bad back then," he said. "But you weren't there Mabel. People have always liked you. You don't know what it's like to be hated for reasons beyond your control. I was always picked on, always. For being too small, for being too smart, for being too effeminate. Every day for years. Every grade. I never made a friend. I tried to change, I really did. I dressed the way I did in high school because I wanted to be cool, but people still laughed in my face." A small smile crossed his face. "And then I met Wendy. Oh, she was so beautiful. And she actually like me! I couldn't believe it at first. It seemed too good to be true. Is it any wonder I got jealous? She was the one thing in my life that was actually good. Of course I wanted to protect her!" He slammed his fist against the couch. "But I held on too tight, and I lost her.

And then I met Tambry, and it was good for a while. But I missed Wendy. I missed the way she laughed. I missed the way her hair blew in the wind. I missed the way she'd punch my arm when I was being silly. So I tried to get her back. I blew it again. I lost Tambry, and the few friends she helped me make. I had nothing." His eyes blazed. "And then I was given a chance to change all that! Don't you see, Mabel?" He was pleading. "I'm not a bad person! I never was! I just… it was other people."

"No one else put the knife in your hand," Mabel said. Her voice was ice cold. "You could have said no."

"No, I couldn't have," said Robbie. "You don't understand."

"I understand perfectly," said Mabel. "You really want to help me and Dipper?"

"Of course!" said Robbie.

"Than leave us the fuck alone," said Mabel. Robbie stared at her, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"Mabel…"

"I don't want to see you anymore," said Mabel. "You don't have to quit your job, but don't talk to me when you see me. And Robbie, God help you if you try to hurt me or Dipper again. If you thought what I did to your face was bad, wait till I show you some of the spells in the back of the Three." Robbie slowly got up, and walked towards the door.

"I'm sorry," said Robbie.

"Get out of here," growled Mabel. Robbie walked out of the cabin, the door swinging shut behind him. Mabel walked over to where he had tossed the knife. She picked it up and stared at her reflection. Her anger began to fade, being replaced by sadness and disappointment. She threw the knife as hard as she could, and fell to her knees. The tears came hard and fast. She rolled up in the fetal position, and rocked back and forth.

/

"This is weird," said Thompson. They were about an hour into it. To Wendy's surprise, none of the animatronics had so much as blinked. The still stood motionless on the stage.

"What?" asked Wendy. Her gaze followed Thomas's outstretched finger. There was a small electronic window on the console with the screens. There was a thin green line that stretched a third of the way across it. At the bottom of the line was a number. It read, '72.'

"What do you think that is?" asked Thomas. As Wendy stared at it, a small portion of the line vanished. The number changed to, '71.' Her eyes grew wide.

"I've seen something like this before," she said. She slowly reached into her pocket. Thomas noticed her hands were shaking. She pulled out her phone, and swiped a finger across it. She pressed a few buttons, and showed the screen to Tom. It was her battery life. A thin green line stretched across the screen, and a dial read, '52%.' All the color left Thompson's face.

"Oh no," he whispered. He looked back at the window on the console. It read '70.' Then something caught his eye. It was the screen that showed the stage. He moaned. Wendy followed his eyes, and gasped.

The bunny animatronic was missing.


End file.
